


Reunion

by Little_Cinch



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Caryl, Child Death, Depression, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-06
Updated: 2014-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-16 16:25:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 33,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7275352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Cinch/pseuds/Little_Cinch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers through 4x10 Inmates - AU after that point, though spoilers for later episodes may exist, too. The prison group reunites after the prison is destroyed. Rating for language, violence, and adult themes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with The Walking Dead. This is for my own entertainment and definitely not for profit.**

Daryl trudged along behind Beth, not really caring what happened from here on out. He stayed with her out of habit more than anything, unable to let go completely of the protectiveness he had for his family.

His family that was now gone.

He felt in a fog after the nightmare at the prison. So much death. So much loss. He and Beth had fled at the last minute, dodging swarms of walkers as they went. Only their well-developed survival instincts had kept them alive.

Beth had been hopeful at first, believing so strongly in her father's words of faith that she refused to accept that they were alone. But after finding the bloody remains by the railroad tracks, even she had lost hope. They followed the train tracks just because they were there. They kept moving only because they had nothing else to do.

That night they built a small fire, but he didn't really sleep. He just stared into the flames and waited for the night to end.

They smothered their fire before dawn and kept walking. Just before the sun broke over the horizon, he caught the faint scent of wood smoke. Scanning the trees ahead, he saw a spot that was disturbed – someone had walked through the underbrush there. He waved Beth to a stop. Raising his crossbow, he moved softly toward the trail. They slipped quietly through the trees, following the scuffed earth and bruised greenery. The smell of smoke grew stronger, and he heard a rustling and the murmur of voices just ahead. They crept slowly forward until the camp came into view. He stopped in his tracks, unable to believe what he saw.

Behind him, Beth sobbed out, "Judith!"

The group in the camp turned at her voice to see Beth running forward to scoop Judith up. She dropped to her knees, holding the baby tight and reaching out to pull Mika and Lizzie into an awkward, four-person embrace.

"I can't believe we found you! We thought everyone was dead!" Her words were nearly unintelligible, she was crying so hard.

Tyreese stood looking shocked and eventually broke into a wide grin as he took in what was happening. He patted Beth warmly on the shoulder in welcome, causing her to wobble with her squealing burden.

But Daryl noticed none of that. He still stood where he had stopped, crossbow on the ground where it had fallen from his fingers. Part of his mind was trying to decide if he was asleep and dreaming. The rest of him simply soaked in the sight of the last person he would have thought to find out here in the woods.

He saw it in slow motion. Carol was sitting on the ground by the girls in front of the fire and, at Beth's first cry, turned to look behind her, hand reaching for her knife. But as she recognized Beth, she relaxed into a surprised smile. Then her eyes shifted farther back to find him and her smile melted into shock. Her blue eyes never left him as she rose to her feet. For just a moment, she seemed struck immobile just like him.

He felt one of his hands reach forward, though he couldn't make his feet move. That small gesture was enough to break the stillness between them. Her face lit up in pure joy, and she took a step toward him. Next thing he knew, he staggered back from the force of her body colliding with his, her arms locked tightly around his neck.

"Oh my god!" She was somewhere between laughing and crying as she clung to him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her, hardly believing she was really here.

"Thought I'd never see you again." His voice was raw.

She pulled back to look up into his face with wet, shining eyes. "Me, too."

"When Rick said what happened-"

He was cut off as she grabbed his face and pulled his lips roughly to hers. It was a quick, fierce kiss, and the intensity of it left him breathless. His whole body tingled as every nerve lit up in response. She wound her arms around his neck again. Her breath tickled him as she whispered into his ear.

"Tyreese doesn't know."

He froze, realizing the potential danger of the situation. He nodded slightly against her cheek. She relaxed and started to back away, but he didn't let her go. Instead he drew her closer, pressing his nose into the join of her neck and shoulder, breathing her in deep. He had no idea what made him do it, but his relief at finding others – at finding _her_ – was enough to make him forget anything but the feel of her in his arms.

"Missed you," he said softly and pressed a kiss to the pulse beating in her throat. She gave a little gasp and shivered at the touch of his lips.

He eased back, and she smiled up at him with a flush in her cheeks.

"Missed you, too, Pookie," she said.


	2. Confession

"Missed you, too, Pookie."

Her words, seeing her here, feeling her in his arms – it did a lot to soothe Daryl's pain from the events of the last couple days. They'd lost their home and most of their family, but he had Carol.

Suddenly realizing they had an audience, he let her go to retrieve his crossbow from where it had fallen. With a brief glance and subtle smile at Carol, he let his fingertips brush the small of her back, guiding her back over to the rest of the group.

Smiling broadly, she knelt down to join the dog-pile with Beth at the middle. Beth was still crying and talking and trying to wipe her nose. Carol gave the young woman a kiss on the cheek and petted her head, trying fruitlessly to smooth her tangled hair. Tyreese made his way around the soppy cluster and reached out to offer Daryl a handshake and a one armed man-hug, though they both would deny any hugging happened.

"Food? Water?" Carol the mother hen was the first to ask, of course. Daryl and Beth both accepted what was offered gratefully. They hadn't had much the last day and a half.

They all gathered around the fire, and as they ate their meager breakfast they quietly shared everything they'd seen at the prison, filling in as many gaps as they could. Carol hugged Beth and didn't try to hold back her tears on hearing of Hershel's death. Ty had seen Maggie, Sasha, and Bob together, but after covering their escape, that was the last he saw of them. When he'd gathered up the kids, they had run the opposite direction. No one knew who made it to the bus, though it had definitely left the prison. Michonne had been outside the fence, and no one saw Rick once the shooting started. Carl had been near Daryl, but he'd lost track of him quickly. Carol had only seen the very end of the fight and followed Tyreese and the girls when she saw them escape into the woods. Lizzie announced that after she shot those two people, the other kids ran off, but she didn't know which direction.

After Lizzie spoke, Daryl noticed that Carol pulled the girl closer to her and kept an arm around her. He wondered how the hell a twelve year old girl ended up killing two people in the middle of a firefight.

Their discussion shifted over to planning what to do next. They needed shelter, food, and clean water. Judith would be out of formula far too soon, as well.

"We met some people," Tyreese offered. "They were bit, but they said to follow the tracks – there's signs along the way, with a map. It's supposed to be safe. A sanctuary."

"Seriously? You trust that?" Daryl wasn't inclined to believe help would be found so easily.

"Can we afford not to?" Beth asked with a worried frown.

Carol turned to Daryl. "We should at least go check it out. See what it looks like. I don't know how long we can survive out here with Judith and the girls."

Lizzie looked up at Carol, her brow scrunched up. "We can take care of ourselves. You taught us how. We're strong."

Smiling down at her, Carol gave the girl a squeeze. "I know, honey, and I'm proud of you both."

Lizzie nodded and went back to squishing ants with the butt of her knife.

"All right. If you all wanna check it out, I ain't gonna argue. But I don't wanna be paradin' in there with targets painted on our foreheads. We get close, I can scout it out," Daryl said.

After everyone finished eating, they started gathering up their few belongings. Daryl met Carol's eye and tipped his head away from the group. She followed him a few steps away. Keeping his voice low, he said, "Sorry about before. I didn't even think about Tyreese, and that was just dumb as hell."

She threw a quick glance over her shoulder and whispered, "I've got to talk to you about that, but not right now. As soon as we can get some space, OK?"

He nodded. As soon as Rick said she had confessed to murder, he knew it wasn't true. He was sure that's what she needed to tell him.

Once the fire was put out, the little group headed back toward the railroad tracks – toward this supposed sanctuary. They followed the rails for hours, stopping now and then to rest or take care of Judith's digestive system. If it wasn't something going in one end, it was coming out the other, so baby stops were fairly frequent.

For her part, Judith seemed delighted that Beth had appeared to entertain her and fussed if anyone else tried to hold her. It was clearly taking a toll on Beth. She looked exhausted. Daryl suggested they take a break and see if Judith would sleep for a bit. He would take the time to hunt a little – maybe bring a couple of squirrels back or something. Giving the excuse of a full bladder, Carol went with him a little way into the woods so they could talk.

When they were alone, Daryl asked, "You really tell Rick you killed Karen and David?"

She nodded, watching his face carefully.

"So who really did it? Who you covering for?"

She dropped her gaze to the leaf litter at her feet. "It was Lizzie. God, I don't know what to do! When I told Rick I did it, I was just trying to protect her. I didn't realize he was going to throw me out – I thought I'd be there to help her. Ryan made me promise I'd take care of his girls, and that was what I was trying to do."

Her eyes found his and bored into them. "When I went in to check on Karen and David that day, she was there. Her hands were covered in blood, and she was just _looking_ at Karen. She cut their throats and watched them bleed out. And she didn't seem to understand why I was upset."

She reached out and gripped his wrist, which surprised him. "But it's worse. Daryl, there's something _really_ wrong with her. When I caught up to the girls yesterday, Judith was screaming and there were walkers coming for them. Lizzie...she nearly smothered Judy, and if I hadn't been there, I have no doubt she would have done it. And now today? She killed two more people during the fight? She's not right. At first I thought I could help her, but now I don't know. I don't know what to do."

Daryl reached out and drew her into his arms. He had no idea what to do either, but he didn't like seeing her suffer over a child again.

"We'll figure it out." It was the best he could come up with to say.

"I can't tell Tyreese. I don't know what he would do, and I can't let him hurt her. She isn't right, but she's still just a child."

He took her shoulders and held her at arms' length. "We'll figure it out."

She sighed deeply and nodded, reaching up to put a hand on his wrist. "I better get back. Stay safe, OK?"

"You, too." He studied her for a moment before adding, "I knew it wasn' you. Rick's an asshole."

A smile cracked through the stress and worry on her face. "Yeah."

He cupped her jaw with one hand and brushed his thumb along her cheek. "That's my girl. Smile looks good on you."

"Stop!" Color rose in her cheeks.

He dropped his hands and backed off a bit. "Back soon."

She nodded and took a step back toward where the group was resting.

Hefting his crossbow, he turned and strode into the woods to try and find them some lunch.


	3. Accusation

Daryl returned after an hour or so with three good sized hares. He figured he'd clean them when they made camp for the night. If Carol hadn't talked to him earlier he might not have noticed, but Lizzie seemed interested in the animals hanging at his belt, throwing long looks at them. Frowning a little, he hoped like hell they could figure out how to handle the girl.

"You all see any walkers while I was gone?" he asked the group. "I only ran across one."

Tyreese shook his head thoughtfully. "Maybe most of 'em in the area were drawn in by the noise at the prison. There were a whole lot of them headed that way when we got out. If we're lucky, maybe they'll be thin on the ground for a while."

"Ain't countin' my chickens, but it'd sure be nice."

A few minutes later, Asskicker woke up hungry. Fortunately for Beth, Judith didn't seem to mind being fed by Carol this time, so they would hopefully be able to split up baby packing duty so no one got too tired. They got underway as soon as the baby was full, dry, and happy again. They plodded along, making reasonable time considering half their group hadn't hit their teens yet. In the whole time they traveled, only two walkers approached them, which were easily taken out. It bothered Daryl that they weren't seeing more of them, but he decided to take it as a good thing for now.

A couple hours into the walk, Tyreese drifted to Daryl's side and slowed his pace, indicating with a glance that he wanted to talk. So they eased themselves back from the others just enough to be able to speak quietly without being overheard.

"Hey, I wanted to ask if you'd help me keep an eye on Lizzie. I know she's got Carol and all, but...I got a funny feeling," Tyreese murmured.

"Why's that?" Daryl asked, dread creeping in.

"It's probably nothin', but she's said some things. Don't even think I can explain it, but it struck me as weird. And you should have seen her at the prison, man. I was pinned down by a couple of the Governor's folks, and she came in and put those two people down with no more concern than if she were puttin' down a walker. She saved my life, but, man, she was ice cold. So, I dunno. Just...let me know if anything feels off to you."

Daryl kept his eyes down, but nodded. "Yeah, all right."

"Thanks, man," said Tyreese as he picked up the pace again to merge back into the group slogging along ahead of them.

Shit. If Ty was already thinking Lizzie was kinda off, he might figure out she'd killed Karen, and then who knows what might happen.

With a sigh and a kick to the ground that sent gravel skittering ahead of him, he hustled up to join the others.

About the time the kids were tiring out and the baby was getting fed up with being packed around, the tracks they were following cut through a small town. It wasn't big enough for a depot or anything, just flashers and gates to warn of oncoming trains at the one road that crossed the tracks. They could find shelter for the night here and maybe scavenge some food to go with the game hanging from Daryl's belt.

They left the tracks and headed down into a residential area, where the houses were old and on large lots. The one they picked was a good sized two story with a couple of huge live oaks in the front yard and a big stonework wood-fire grill in the back. It was part of a fancy patio that was clearly much newer than the house itself. There was even a little shed that had wood to burn in it – peach or maybe apple wood.

Daryl and Tyreese went in to clear the front room before the others came inside the house. Carol and Beth stayed with the kids while they finished clearing the rest of the place. There was still no sign of walkers, which at least meant the house smelled better than most.

"Beth, would you feed and change Judith? I can go get the fire started for dinner," Carol said, putting a hand out toward Daryl for the hares.

He passed them to her. "Me an' Ty can go check out the nearby houses – see if we can scrounge up a little more dinner. How much formula we got?"

Beth dug through the diaper bag. "Only enough for about a day and a half, and that's if we stretch it, which would mean a very cranky girl. We're reeeeeally going to want to find some more diapers soon, too."

Daryl glanced to Ty and they both gave a quick nod. They had their mission.

He paused next to Carol as Ty headed out the front door. "You be all right here with the chitlins?"

"We'll be fine. Beth's got Judith, and the girls can help me keep watch while we get dinner started."

"OK, well...stay safe," he added.

She smiled up at him. "Nine lives. See you soon."

She leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek before taking the girls and the hares out to the patio. The touch of her lips set his blood on fire, and he savored the burn as he watched her go. When he turned to follow Tyreese out the door, Daryl saw Beth grinning smugly from the chair in the corner where she was fixing to feed Asskicker.

"Something you wanna share with the class, Mr. Dixon?"

He gave her his fiercest scowl. "Shut up."

A sudden bellowing shout from outside made them flinch and instantly killed the teasing mood. Daryl burst through the front door, bringing his crossbow up to bear on whatever had caused Tyreese to cry out an alarm. It took a second to register that the noise was from excitement rather than fear. Ty had almost completely enveloped his sister Sasha in a massive bear hug. Grinning madly behind them were Maggie and Bob. It looked like Bob had injured his arm, but overall, they looked to be fine.

There was a shriek from behind him as Beth peered out the door and saw her sister. "Maggie!"

The two of them met each other in a tearful embrace, careful not to crush the baby. They were crying and talking over each other in their excitement. Eventually all the siblings settled down enough for words to be understood.

"We were following the train tracks," Maggie explained. "We stopped here to look for food and supplies, and were on our way to find a place to hole up for the night."

"Looks like we found a place," Bob piped up with a smirk.

"And then Sasha saw Tyreese up there on the porch..." Maggie's smile vanished as her voice trailed off uncertainly. "Carol?"

Fuck. Daryl edged himself closer to the porch where Carol was now standing with Lizzie and Mika on either side.

Maggie's face flushed. "Tyreese, what is she doing here? Rick said-"

" _Rick_ was mistaken." Daryl cut her off, trying to stop her before she could cause a disaster.

"Oh yeah? What'd she tell you?"

Tyreese held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa. Rick said what? What are you talking about? Why shouldn't Carol be here?"

Maggie turned to him. "So nobody's bothered to mention that Carol's the one who killed Karen? Rick threw her out of the prison for it."

Ty's confusion shifted to a boiling fury as he processed what she'd just told him. "WHAT?"

His eyes bulged as his glare locked onto Carol on the porch, who was pushing the girls behind her.

"Tyreese! It ain't true!" Daryl put out a hand to try calming the berserker rage he could see was brewing.

But Ty didn't hear him. He took a halting step forward, then launched himself toward the porch, arms outstretched, aiming to tear Carol apart with his bare hands. Daryl stepped in front of him. Tyreese was a much larger man, but generally a gentle person. Daryl on the other hand had been in more scraps than he could count, let alone remember, and knew how to handle himself. As Ty barreled forward, Daryl caught his arm and forced him to one side, using his own momentum to derail him from his path. As the big man went past, Daryl kicked a leg out from under him to bring him to the ground. He planted a knee in the middle of Ty's broad back and twisted his arm up hard, clamping his other hand on the back of his neck. Sasha and Maggie were screaming at them to stop. Tyreese roared his fury, but couldn't get enough leverage to dislodge Daryl.

He shouted in Tyreese's ear, trying to break through the blind rage to the intelligent man beneath. "What the hell did I just say? It wasn' Carol killed Karen! Rick was wrong – Carol didn' do it!"

"But Rick said-" Maggie broke in, but Daryl cut her off again.

" _Dammit_ , I'm tellin' you Rick ain't got it right! And you're makin' shit worse, so shut the hell up!"

Maggie reared back at his tone, looking insulted but a little uneasy, like she suddenly realized she might not have all the facts. Sasha had her hands over her mouth, watching it all with wide eyes. Carol hadn't moved. Mika was crying and trembling by the front door, but Lizzie stood calmly by Carol's side, one hand holding tight to Carol's belt and her eyes fixed on the two men below.

Some of the fight went out of Tyreese, but Daryl didn't let go. "I know you're pissed, but I gotta know you can talk about this without losin' your shit 'fore I let you loose."

Puffing huge breaths, Tyreese eventually nodded. "I'll listen."

Daryl carefully released his hold, and both men rose to their feet.

Carol spoke up for the first time. "Tyreese, I'm sorry. There are things I can't tell you, but I promise you I didn't kill Karen and David."

"But Rick said you _told_ him you did it!" Maggie blurted out, making Daryl grit his teeth and glare.

Carol tipped her head in acknowledgment. "I did tell him that. I thought it was the best thing to do at the time, but it was a lie."

Daryl kept a close eye on the big man before him. "Ty?"

Tyreese was clearly struggling, breathing hard and twitching from the urge to DO something, but he kept himself in check. "Do you know who did it?"

Carol kept silent.

Ty's face hardened. "Why can't you tell me?"

"It's not my place to tell. I'm truly sorry, Tyreese, but I can't."

He paced back and forth as he turned it over in his head. "I need some time to think about this."

Carol nodded. "I understand."

Daryl watched the exchange, noting that while it was still tense, the level of aggression had dropped. "Why don't we gather up our supplies and see what we still need? We got a little food needs cookin' out back – that'll take a while. Sasha, you all see any baby stuff while you were out there? We need shit for Asskicker."

Sasha looked at him blankly for a moment before blinking herself back to the question. "Uh, yeah, I think so. There was at least one place that had kid stuff all around."

"You and Tyreese willin' to go gather up what you can? Food'll be ready by the time you get back."

Sasha looked to Tyreese, who nodded. "Sure."

Maggie dropped the pack she had slung over her shoulder and said sourly, "Here's most of what we already found. I'm going with them."

"Me, too!" added Bob, glancing at Sasha.

Though unhappy about Maggie leaving, Beth chose to stay. "I need to keep an eye on Judith."

The group separated, easing the strain for a while. For all Daryl knew, the others wouldn't ever come back, and at the moment, he wasn't sure which option he preferred.

He crossed to the porch and waited until Carol had calmed Mika and sent both girls to the kitchen to search for food. Taking her elbow, he guided her into the front room away from everyone else. She was badly shaken but seemed to be holding it together. "You all right?"

She sighed deeply before answering with a shrug. "I guess so. I don't know if he'll accept that I can't tell him what really happened. Maybe if it was just us, but if Maggie's had all this time believing Rick...I don't know."

"We'll figure it out. He ain't gonna hurt you or anybody else. Even if you and me and the girls gotta take off on our own, we'll figure it out."

Her eyes were luminous as she looked up at him, and it made his breath catch in his chest. He must have said something right to have earned that look. She reached for him then, slipping her arms beneath his leather vest and around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. Her warmth and her scent loosened the knot in his gut.

Eventually she pulled away and sniffed subtly. "I need to get dinner going," she said as she disappeared toward the back door.

Daryl watched her go with a touch of a smile on his face. He turned to head up front for guard duty and saw Beth standing in the doorway watching him with her eyebrows up, looking smug.

"Shut up."


	4. Escalation

All the noise and fighting failed to draw any walkers, though they kept a close watch as they waited for the others to return.

With the hares Daryl had killed and the supplies Sasha, Maggie, and Bob had provided, there was enough food for everyone with a little left over for sharing in the morning. Supper was ready just as the others returned to the house with a good haul of formula and diapers. Beth welcomed them back enthusiastically – she'd spent the time her sister was gone anxiously pacing the front room with Judith. The rest of the group was civil, but the air crackled with tension. Tyreese occasionally threw dark looks across at Carol, but he said nothing. Maggie behaved as though Carol didn't exist, which was an improvement over the open hostility from before.

Dinner conversation consisted of catching up with the news each group brought from the prison. Maggie stabbed at her dinner in silence while Sasha described the horrors they'd found at the prison bus. Daryl held himself stoic though grief cut through him at the thought of all those people dead. Though initially resistant, he'd gradually gotten to know the newer members of their prison family, and their deaths hit him hard. The group finished their meal quietly, eating hurriedly to end the uncomfortable gathering as quickly as possible.

After they'd cleaned up and packed away their remaining supplies, everyone dispersed through the house, thoroughly ransacking the place for useful items. People also began staking claims on rooms to sleep in for the night. Lizzie and Mika immediately disappeared into one of the bedrooms on the first floor that had apparently belonged to a girl similar to them in age, where they tore through the closets and dressers for clean clothes. Sasha, Maggie, and Beth decided to keep Judith with them in the master bedroom upstairs, on the opposite side of the building from where Carol would be staying. Daryl had claimed the other upstairs bedroom for the two of them. He'd be damned if he left Carol alone – or worse, with others who might not trust her. Bob and Tyreese set up in the guest room downstairs.

Sasha volunteered for first watch, and Bob quickly offered to join her. They stepped out to the front porch in the darkening night as everyone else retired to their new rooms to sleep. Within an hour, the house was quiet.

Daryl followed Carol into the bedroom he had claimed for them, feeling a little awkward now that it was just the two of them. From her fidgeting, he guessed she was feeling the same. She dug through the closets looking for clothing the group could use, making a pile near the door. There were decorative tea lights set up around the room that so far in their existence had only ever been decorative. Daryl pulled out his lighter and lit every one he could find to push back the growing darkness. Then he laid out a couple blankets he'd grabbed from the linen closet to make a bed for himself on the floor.

When he was done, he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the chest of drawers across from the bed. Carol had perched herself daintily on the end of the bed as though afraid to fully commit to being _on_ the thing. She pulled at a thread on the hem of her shirt with a crease between her brows.

"So what do you think?" she asked.

He sighed and shrugged. Fuck if he knew. "Ty seemed better. Don't think it's likely he'll try to hurt'cha again, but there's somethin' you should know. Earlier today, he was talkin' 'bout Lizzie, sayin' she was doin' things, sayin' things – she was givin' him the creeps. I hope he ain't gonna put it together that she's the one you're protecting."

"God, Daryl, I just don't know what to do! She's just a kid, but I'm afraid she might hurt someone else if I don't do something. But what can I do? I promised I'd take care of her, but there's no psychiatrists anymore, no doctors. No medicine. Not really." Her shoulders slumped. "I can't help her. Not any more than I could help Sophia."

She looked so small and defeated sitting there. Daryl felt torn, wanting to offer some kind of comfort, but not sure how. He'd been the one to fail Sophia, not Carol, and that guilt ate at him every day. His own pain and grief would be nothing compared to what she must endure. Her fragile body held more strength than he ever would have believed when they first met. Now another child was lost. Maybe not physically, but lost all the same.

Carol took ragged breaths, trying to keep herself under control. A few rogue tears slipped free, which she quickly brushed away before apologizing to him, of all things.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to get all weird on you," she said with a watery smile. Here she was agonizing over this little girl, but at the same time trying to rescue him from feeling a little uncomfortable.

Her incredible selflessness drove him to act. He stood in front of her and put out his hand. "C'mere."

She put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet. Her eyes shone in the candlelight, and he let himself get lost in the liquid blue for a moment. Her tears had left her eyelashes spiky, making his chest hurt with the want of kissing away her pain. Tension hummed over his skin as his body became hyper-aware of her closeness. Her hand still rested in his, and he stroked his thumb across the back of it. Her lips parted as she drew in a breath. He brushed her hair back over one ear before catching her cheek with his hand.

"You ain't gettin' all weird. You care 'bout people, and that's just who you are. Shouldn't ever hafta feel bad about caring. Sophia was a lucky kid havin' you as her mama, jus' like Lizzie an' Mika's lucky to have you now."

Carol's free hand came up to cover his where it rested on her cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut over a fresh wave of tears. She gasped in a breath as she lost her battle against the sob welling up inside her. He pulled her in close, letting her cry into his shoulder while he rubbed her back in a way he hoped was soothing. He hadn't meant to make her cry, but he was pretty sure anything was better than standing at the dresser like an asshole doing nothing.

Even after she settled down and stopped crying, she didn't pull away, so he stayed put, holding her and smoothing her hair at the back of her neck. Eventually she did pull back, and he was disappointed for a moment, but she didn't leave him. Placing her hands on his chest, she stretched up to plant a kiss on his cheek, pausing briefly with her lips pressed against his skin before easing back and looking up into his eyes.

"Thank you," she murmured with a soft smile.

She was still in his arms, looking up at him with those wide, beautiful eyes of hers, and he felt balanced on the edge of something. Time slowed as the moment filled with all the maybes and what ifs that had ever teased his mind in the dark, quiet nights – all those things he couldn't think about directly in the light of day. His breathing picked up and without meaning to, he pulled her in tighter. He wasn't sure who moved first – maybe it didn't matter – but he suddenly found himself with his mouth hovering just above hers. Heat crept up his neck, whether from desire or nerves, he didn't know. Maybe both. They had barely moved, but he felt like they were spinning wildly out of control which left him both exhilarated and terrified.

Slowly, carefully, he brought his lips to hers, and a molten fire sparked deep inside him as her body melted against his. Though it was a soft, simple kiss, it left him shaky and breathless. He pulled back slightly, and she stayed pressed against him, eyes closed and chin tipped up. When she finally opened her eyes, they were dark and hungry, and they pulled from him a longing for something he'd never known in his life, though he couldn't have put words to what exactly it was. Whatever it was, it felt good.

Her hands slipped up from his chest to pull his face back to hers. This time the kiss was heated, and with courage dredged up from who knew where, he let his tongue slip out to sweep across her lip. Her mouth opened in a breathy moan that made his blood surge to his groin, and his hips rock forward to grind against hers. If she'd had any doubts about his desire for her, there was no way she didn't know now. He wanted her. He wanted all of her. He dragged her tight against him and kissed her hard, tongue probing and tasting, wanting to explore everything she would offer him, wanting to devour her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him back just as hard. Her tongue pushed and moved against his, and she nipped at his lower lip, making him rumble deep in his throat.

They broke apart suddenly, gasping for air. Her cheeks were flushed, as he was sure his were, judging by the burning sensation there. She was shaking in his arms, but smiling as she ran her fingers up into his hair from the back of his neck, sending tingles over his scalp and down his spine.

He wanted nothing more than to throw her onto the bed and ravage her until they were both spent and weak, but he knew it was terrible timing. Their lives had just been shattered, they'd lost their home and much of their family, and half the family they had left was turning on them. There was danger here, not just from walkers and madmen, but from within the walls of their shelter. From the emotional minefield they'd been walking the last few days. His caveman brain howled at him furiously for even considering backing off, but the rest of him knew that slowing down would be better in the long run.

He tipped his forehead to press against hers. "Would it be OK if...if we didn't do this just yet?"

She pulled her head back with hurt in her eyes. "What?"

"No, I don't mean nothin' bad! It's just, with everything that's happened the last couple days, it's kinda all too much."

He kissed her to soothe unintentionally bruised feelings and tucked his nose just below her ear. "Don't misunderstand. I _want_ this. I want _you_ – one whole helluva lot. But things bein' like they are, I don't wanna fuck this up."

She didn't answer for so long, he thought he might have already fucked it up. But she finally relaxed into him again and nodded. "It's OK."

"Just don't forget," he said as he kissed the pulse beating in her throat, "we found each other. I ain't gonna lose you again."

Her arms tightened around his neck, and he knew it would be all right.

Pulling away from him, she went to the dresser and started putting out the tealights. "We should probably get some sleep. Got another long walk ahead of us tomorrow, and I expect there won't be a lot of conversation to pass the time," she said with a wry smile.

He blew out the candles on the night table, pulled off his boots, and stretched himself out on his pile of blankets on the floor while she climbed into the bed above him. After a moment, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw her peering over the side of the bed at him, propped on her elbow.

"What?" he asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"You don't have to sleep down there, you know. It's a lot more comfortable up here and there's plenty of room."

He hesitated, unsure about whether he could do that and still convince his cavemen brain to behave.

"We don't have to do anything you're not ready for," she said, "but I'd really like you here with me. It would be nice not to feel so alone."

He stood and she moved over to make room for him. Very carefully, he slid himself under the covers next to her. She was curled with her back to him on the very edge of the mattress, giving him as much space as possible. He lay on his back for a few minutes, frowning up at the invisible ceiling and feeling anxious. Finally, he couldn't stand the gulf between them anymore – it felt like a gaping chasm, though they were only a foot apart. Turning onto his side, he reached over to rest a hand at the dip of her waist.

"Can I?" he asked.

She turned her head toward him a little as she considered it, then shuffled over to let him slip his arm around her. He pulled her in close, snuggling her up against him, her back to his front. His blood still hummed from before, so he made sure to keep his hips back a little. If he let his erection press against her ass, there was no way he'd be able to control himself twice.

She brought her arm up to lace her fingers into his where they rested against her belly. He kissed her shoulder softly and felt the tension in her body melt away. Contentment washed over him as he relaxed against her. As he drifted toward sleep, he wondered if it was wrong to feel so happy when everything in their world was so fucked up. And just before sleep finally claimed him, he nuzzled into her neck and decided he didn't give a shit if it was.

* * *

Adrenaline-laced fear surged through him, and he was on his feet searching for the source of danger before he even registered what had shocked him from sleep. From downstairs he could hear shouting as well as a high, wordless screaming that made his stomach churn. Carol was struggling into her boots and shouting for him to go, so he grabbed up his crossbow and ran for the stairs, not bothering with his own boots.

He thundered down the stairs as more voices started shouting and screaming, including Judith's terrified wailing. The commotion was coming from the downstairs guest bedroom. He lurched to a halt in the doorway as the sights and smells hit him.

Blood was the first thing he registered and for a moment, that was the _only_ thing that registered. He'd forgotten how much blood could come from a human body – especially a body as large as Tyreese's. There was a pool of blood at the head of the bed, along with some spray up the walls from arterial spurting. A streaked and spattered trail went from the bed across the floor to where the big man's body lay in the middle of the room. The rest of his life's blood made a huge, squelching dark pool in the carpet around him. The terrible screaming was coming from Sasha as she pulled at his body on the floor, trying insensibly to rouse him from whatever she thought was keeping him still. Bob was trying to get Sasha to come with him, to come away from the body, and Maggie was shouting and trying to drag a struggling, sobbing Mika from the room.

Eyes initially drawn to all the ruckus, ice flooded his veins when he finally followed the direction Ty had been moving and saw the other person in the room. Lizzie sat crouched on top of the dresser in the corner, lurking like a gargoyle. A fine spray of red was misted over her clothes and face. Her hand and the knife in it were covered with blood. Her head was cocked to one side as she stared glassy eyed down toward the floor at the corpse she'd made.


	5. Eruption

_Holy fuck._

The words echoed over and over in Daryl's mind. Shock left him immobile as he gaped at the horror show in front of him. The metallic smell of blood was overwhelming, and combined with the screams ringing in his ears, it made his head swim. He looked in the direction Ty had been crawling to see Lizzie crouched on the dresser in the corner, covered in blood and staring down at Tyreese's body with just a hint of a smile. He shuddered. There may be walkers roaming the earth, but this little girl was just as soulless.

Sasha was still pulling at Ty's body, though her wordless screams were gradually becoming body-wracking sobs as she began to realize he wasn't getting up again. Bob had an arm around her shoulders and was talking softly in her ear, trying to calm her and convince her to go into the other room away from the blood and the body.

"Mika! You have to come with me – you shouldn't be in here!" Maggie was trying to drag the struggling girl away from the bloodbath.

"Lizzie! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to let it happen! Lizzie, I'm sorry I didn't wake up! _Lizzie!_ " Mika wailed as she fought to reach her sister.

Oblivious to Mika's thrashing, Sasha knelt in an ocean of her brother's blood as her deep sobs subsided into gasping breaths. Daryl's stomach dropped when he saw her burning eyes come up to fix on Lizzie. Her shock and grief had flared into a white-hot rage.

" _Animal!_ " she snarled. "I'll _kill_ you!"

She lunged for Lizzie in the corner whose attention was still completely on Ty's body on the floor. Bob made a grab for Sasha's arm, barely catching her as she moved. Daryl stepped in front of Lizzie, with a hand out in case Bob missed. One death was enough for today. Bob managed to get his good arm around her waist, and Daryl moved forward to put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Ain't nobody killin' anybody!" he said firmly.

"It's a bit late for that!" snapped Maggie. Daryl whipped his head around to glare at her.

His scathing reply died on his lips as Carol rushed in. She came to a stumbling halt as she saw the blood and Tyreese's motionless body. When she saw Lizzie in the corner with her bloody knife, her hands clapped over her mouth, and her face went white. "Oh, God!"

Mika fought free from Maggie's grip and ran to cling to Carol, sobbing over and over again that she was sorry. "It's my fault! I didn't wake up! I couldn't stop her!"

Carol wrapped an arm around the girl, but had no words to comfort her.

Sasha pushed at Bob and Daryl trying to get free and continued screaming at Lizzie who finally started to notice there were others in the room. "You murdered my brother, you—you...monster! Why would you do it? Why? Dammit, _answer me!_ "

Lizzie looked up at Carol, then turned her piercing stare over to Sasha. She looked puzzled, as though it should be the most obvious thing in the world. "He was going to hurt Carol. I couldn't let him do that."

Carol's knees gave way and she sank to the floor in the doorway, whispering, "Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God."

Maggie's eyes locked onto the older woman. She breathed hard as anger flared, and she jabbed a finger at Lizzie. Her voice turned to an ugly hiss. "Oh my fucking god. It was her, wasn't it? Lizzie was the one who killed Karen and David, and _you_ were protecting her." The finger zeroed in on Carol now. "You knew she was a goddamn psycho, and you left her running loose with a knife? You fucking _knew?_ "

"You knew... You crazy, fucking _bitch!_ Ty is dead because of you! This is _your fault!_ " Sasha twisted out of Bob's grip and ran at Carol with a shriek.

Lizzie leapt to her feet on the dresser, eyes blazing. She screamed as she launched herself at Sasha, knife raised. "DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"

It all happened at once, but Daryl saw it in slow motion, feeling as though his feet were stuck in quicksand – like one of those terrible dreams where you try to run from some unseen horror but just can't make yourself move. His body fought itself as it couldn't decide where he needed to be to prevent more bloodshed, leaving him rooted helplessly to the spot. Someone else moved, though, and in an instant, his heart stopped dead in his chest. Her blue eyes wide and desperate, Carol pushed Mika aside before flinging herself between Sasha and Lizzie's knife.

"Lizzie, NO!"

Daryl could see Lizzie struggle to turn her knife away when she saw Carol, but it wasn't in time. A spray of blood arced through the air, and Carol cried out as their bodies collided. They landed sprawled on the floor, with Carol clutching her arm as blood soaked into her shirt.

Lizzie climbed onto the woman, shaking her by the shoulder and whimpering into her pale face, "Carol? Please don't be hurt! Please? Are you mad? Carol?"

Bob rushed over to Sasha who was keening limply now in anger and grief. He put his good arm arm around her shoulder, pulling her away from the others and out of the room. Maggie backed herself against the wall, apparently unwilling to chance making herself the focus of Lizzie's attention. Mika cried quietly near the doorway with snot and tears running down her face.

Carol was hurt - how bad was it? Lunatic woman could have gotten herself killed doing crazy shit like that! Daryl took one hurried step toward her, but he was jerked off his feet when something clamped tight around his ankle. He hit the floor with a grunt as the wind was knocked out of him.

The familiar rasping sound made his blood run cold. _Fuck!_ In the chaos, no one had taken care of Tyreese. He kicked out against the hand on his ankle. He scrambled backward crab style in a panic – he hadn't stopped to put on his boots, and the thing that used to be his friend was steadily dragging itself on its belly closer and closer to biting range. Daryl struggled and kicked, casting his eyes around frantically trying to spot where his crossbow had landed when he fell. He heard Carol call his name and turned to see her shove his bow toward him with one foot. It stopped just out of his reach, so he fought against the monster at his feet, trying to gain those last few inches.

There was more screaming, and suddenly the iron grip around his ankle went slack. He scrambled away, snatching up his crossbow and wheeling around on his ass to take aim. When he looked up, he was stunned to see Mika sitting on the corpse's broad shoulders, panting and staring down at the handle of her knife that was now buried in the back of Tyreese's head, up through the base of his skull.

"What did you do?" Lizzie's voice was equal parts shock and outrage.

Mika turned to face her sister, holding her hands up in front of her. "Lizzie, he was going to kill Daryl! You know that, Lizzie, please!"

"He wouldn't have killed him! He just would have _bit_ him! I've been waiting for him to wake up – I was going to show him outside and let him go find his new friends, but you messed everything up! You always mess everything up!"

And quick as a snake, she dove at her sister with her knife, but this time there was no one to block Lizzie's path. Mika screamed as she threw herself backward off the body trying to avoid the flashing blade. Lizzie's eyes were flinty hard as she made one more lunge for Mika. But at the last moment, with a grunt and an exhale of breath, she stopped. Her eyes dropped down, looking in confusion at the crossbow bolt buried deep in the side of her ribcage. She lifted her head to look up at Daryl, still holding his bow trained on her in shaking hands. He made himself hold her gaze, accepting the accusation of betrayal in her eyes as she dropped her knife and slumped down to the floor with one last bubbling wheeze.

For one brittle moment, the only sound was the distant squalling of a frightened Judith from some other part of the house.

Then the room erupted.


	6. Compunction

For an instant after Lizzie's body hit the floor, the air was solid ice – a matrix holding everyone and everything frozen in place. Daryl's lungs filled once, then emptied. It was only the space of a breath, but it was time enough for the memories of every single thing he'd ever done in his entire life that he'd had cause to regret to be dredged up to the surface, with this moment at center stage. What had he done?

The ice filling the room cracked, and once a flaw appeared, the whole thing shattered and everything happened at once. He dropped his crossbow as if it burned him and shoved himself to his feet and leaned on the wall. He drew in deep breaths, trying to squelch the churning nausea in his belly.

Mika, who had been scrambling like a terrified animal away from Lizzie moments ago, now let out an agonized howl like he'd never heard before. She rushed back to her sister's side and hovered there crying hysterically. She rocked back and forth over the body, moaning her sister's name over and over again. Unable to bring herself to reach out and touch her, she pulled instead at fistfuls of her own hair.

On the other side of Tyreese's now truly dead body, Carol had stared in open-mouthed horror as Lizzie attacked her sister. When Lizzie fell with a bolt in her side, Carol screamed, "NO!" and clawed her way over to her girls, forgetting the wound on her arm, which now bled freely again. Bright blood ran down her arm, soaking her sleeve and dripping from her fingertips to smear on everything she touched. She turned Lizzie onto her back and burst into gut-wrenching sobs that tore Daryl's heart in two. She stroked her hands over the girl's face and hair, then looked up at Mika, throwing out her uninjured arm to pull the howling girl close and clutch her to her chest.

Behind him, Daryl heard Maggie start to laugh. It was cold and brittle, but as it grew, it gained a note of hysteria. He looked over to see her staring at Carol in disbelief.

"Jesus. What the fuck? _Now_ you're upset? Tyreese is fucking dead on the ground because of you, but you're crying over that little psycho shit? Fuck me! Rick was right to send you away. Should've done it sooner!"

Carol turned anguished eyes to Maggie, looking more vulnerable than Daryl had ever seen her. A white-hot fire burned away the nausea in his gut. He whirled on Maggie and stuck a finger in her face. "Get the fuck out. Right now."

"Or what? You'll shoot me, too?"

Pain stabbed through his chest, and he squeezed his eyes closed, trying to shove back the image of Lizzie's expression of betrayal as she died. His eyes snapped open again, and he grabbed Maggie by the upper arm and forcibly escorted her out of the room. "I said get the fuck out. Make yourself fuckin' useful and send Bob in here. And find him that fuckin' first aid kit y'all brought in."

She yanked her arm away from him, and glared, but she went. He turned back in to the room and closed the door, resting his head against it for a moment, struggling to pull himself together.

"Mika, you know what we need to do." Carol's words broke into Daryl's awareness, and the sick feeling returned in a rush. Someone had to make sure Lizzie didn't come back. They'd already left it too long as it was.

"I'll do it," he said. Carol looked up to meet his eyes, her face blotchy and tear-streaked. She nodded and stood, taking Mika and sitting at the foot of the bed, away from the pools of blood.

Daryl reached down and pulled Mika's little knife from Tyreese's skull, wiping it off on his pants. He knelt by Lizzie's body and looked down into her open eyes. Even in death, the accusation in them made him cringe. He reached out to close her lids, and positioned himself so his body blocked Carol and Mika's view, then turned Lizzie's head to the side and plunged the knife in, ending any chance of her hurting another person ever again. As he pulled the knife back out, his hands began to shake and he closed his eyes against his swimming vision. A cold sweat broke out over his skin. He dropped the knife and bolted through the door, nearly running over Bob who was on his way in and Maggie right behind him with a first aid kit and another camp lantern in hand.

Daryl burst through the front door and down the porch steps, stumbling to his knees to puke in the yard. He heaved until there was nothing left but acid that burned his throat. When he was done, he spit into the grass and sat back on his heels. He looked up into the night sky and let the breeze cool the sweat from his skin. How the fuck had things come to this? He'd done what he did to save Mika's life, but would Carol ever forgive him for killing Lizzie? Could he ever forgive himself? He dropped his head and groaned, pressing his palms into his eyes.

Eventually he stood and trudged back into the house. Bob had brought Carol into the living room and had cut away her sleeve to expose the long slash on her forearm. He was cleaning the blood away while Mika peered over his shoulder.

"You're lucky nothing important was severed, but it's too deep just to wrap. We need to stitch it." Bob frowned and glanced up at Carol. "I can't do it with one hand, though."

Daryl stepped forward to meet Carol's eyes. "I can do it."

"Have you ever done it before? I know Maggie's—"

"No!" Daryl cut Bob off before he could suggest letting Maggie anywhere near Carol with something sharp. "I can do it."

Bob raised his eyebrows and gave a nod. He stepped aside and showed Daryl what he would need, giving him instructions on what to do. He made Carol move over closer to the lantern to give Daryl the best light possible.

Daryl's stomach fluttered faintly. Suddenly he was glad there was nothing left to throw up. He'd dealt with his fair share of split lips and busted knuckles and had even stitched Merle up once or twice after some serious dust ups. But he'd never had to tend to Carol before. Seeing her skin sliced open and her blood oozing out made it completely different from anything he'd had to do in the past. It made him recognize with a lurch that she could have died. Sure, he knew that – had always known that any of them could die at any time. But seeing her hurt made it sickeningly real. This _mattered_. And though it made him nervous as hell, he'd be damned if he'd trust anyone else to take care of her.

Taking a deep breath to try to steady his hands, he pushed the needle through her skin at the edge of the cut. She flinched as he pulled the thread through, but didn't make a sound. Following Bob's calmly spoken directions, Daryl carefully stitched up her wound. Carol combed the fingers of her good hand through Mika's hair and talked to her to keep them both distracted.

"Sweetheart, can you tell me what happened tonight? What made you think you had something to apologize for?" Carol asked.

Mika's face darkened. "I told you before, Lizzie's messed up. Before, it wasn't so bad, and I used to calm her down when she would get like that. Almost always I could keep her from doing stuff she shouldn't. It got worse, though, since the walkers, and she wouldn't always tell me anymore when she got upset. She didn't tell me today, and I didn't wake up when she went out. I didn't wake up, so I couldn't stop her. It's my fault Tyreese is...is—"

Carol put her good arm around the girl again and hugged her tight. "Oh, baby, it wasn't your fault! I promise it wasn't. Lizzie was sick – it wasn't something you could fix. And it wasn't your responsibility to keep her from doing things. It wasn't your fault, sweetheart, OK?"

Daryl's gut twisted. He could hear in her voice that she blamed herself instead.

When he tied off the last stitch, Bob had him bandage the wound as well. When that was done, Bob sent Carol and Mika off to clean up and go get some sleep, then went upstairs himself to find Sasha.

Wanting to give Carol and Mika a chance to get settled, Daryl went back into the bedroom where the bodies still lay on the floor. He pulled the bloody blankets from the bed and used one to cover Lizzie. Gathering up a second blanket, he looked down at Tyreese's body. He was such a big man it was hard to believe such a tiny girl had managed to kill him. He crouched down and heaved the body over onto its back. There was a deep, gaping wound on one side of his neck. From the blood pooled on the bed, Daryl guessed she'd slashed his throat while he was sleeping, catching the artery. He'd gotten himself up, but hadn't made it very far from the bed before collapsing and bleeding out. Sasha and Bob must have found him when they came in from watch.

Though they hadn't been particularly close, Daryl had liked and respected Tyreese as a strong and loyal ally. He'd been gentle of nature and sometimes struggled living in such a harsh world. He and his sister both were fine people, and the group at the prison was lucky to have gotten another chance to take them in. With a sorrowful nod of respect, he draped the blanket over Ty's body. Tomorrow they would put them both to rest.

Picking up the lantern and his crossbow, Daryl made his way up the stairs. He could still hear voices coming from the rest of the group gathered in the master bedroom. But he turned and went away from them, toward his own room. Part of him hoped that Carol was already asleep. His stomach clenched anxiously thinking about having to talk to her about what had happened tonight. He couldn't even sort out his own reactions to everything, never mind dealing with how Carol might be feeling about it. About him.

He extinguished the lantern and carefully turned the knob, trying not to make a sound in case she was asleep. Pressing his lips together, he steeled himself and pushed through the door, gently setting his crossbow and the lantern down just inside. He closed the door behind him and waited, letting his eyes readjust to the darkness.

Carol appeared to be sleeping, curled up on the bed with Mika. Of course Mika would be here. She couldn't sleep alone after what happened. So he slipped silently to his blankets he'd arranged at the side of the bed and stretched out, resting his head on the pillow Carol had tossed down for him.

He heard movement on the bed above him and realized Carol wasn't asleep after all. His own chances of sleep were just about zero, so he supposed it wasn't surprising. Looking up, he saw her peering down at him again, so he sat up next to the bed. Neither of them seemed to know what to do. Daryl couldn't even begin to translate his swirling thoughts and churning emotions into words, so he waited. Eventually, she just reached out to take his hand and gave it a squeeze before letting him go and turning away to curl up around Mika again.

It left him just as uncertain as before about how things would be between them now. He would just have to wait and see. For the moment, all he could do was try to sleep. Despite sleeping much rougher than this many times, the floor seemed particularly hard and unforgiving tonight. He spent a long time shifting restlessly before finally drifting off into a fitful sleep.

* * *

He was awake again before first light, but chose to stay put so he didn't wake Carol or Mika. They both needed as much sleep as they could get after last night. He'd had unsettling dreams the rest of the night – nothing he could quite call a nightmare, but he woke with a sick dread in his stomach that he just couldn't shake.

As dawn broke, Carol and Mika began to stir. They dragged themselves up from sleep, but they were both hollow-eyed and pale. Carol gave Mika a quick hug and sent her downstairs to ask Beth for some breakfast and to see if she needed any help with Judith. It would help keep her mind off things if she had responsibilities to tend to.

Once they were alone again, Daryl felt just as lost as he had last night when they stared at each other in the dark. This heaviness between them might just kill him if it continued much longer, but he had no clue how to make it better.

"Guess we better go face the music, huh?" she said softly.

"I guess..." he said with a frown. He didn't want to leave the room before knowing how she was feeling. Before knowing where they stood.

"Daryl?" Her sad eyes were full of concern.

He scowled at the floor and wished he knew what he needed to hear. "I...I just..." He blew air through his nose in frustration. "I killed Lizzie! There weren't a way around it that I could see, but now I can't stop seein' her face, and I'm scared shitless you won't be able to forgive me for it. I...there's just—fuck, I don't know!"

"To be honest, I don't know, either."

He glanced up, worried about what that might mean.

With a bitter laugh, she continued. "I'm pretty much a complete wreck right now, and I'm doing my best to keep it together for Mika's sake. I don't know what I feel about Lizzie and...what happened. Yes, you killed Lizzie, but you saved Mika, and quite frankly, it's confusing – I haven't sorted through what I feel about it. And as for the rest of it, I don't know what I'm going to face when I go down those stairs. People that I know and love as family don't trust me anymore – don't want me here." Her voice wavered and cracked, and her face twisted in her effort to keep back the tears. "And it's my fault that two of those people are dead now, so they _shouldn't_ trust me. I've lost everything that ever mattered, and I've screwed my life and everyone else's all to hell!"

A crushing pressure dropped on Daryl's chest. It squeezed his voice into a strangled whisper. "So...I don't matter?"

Her brows drew together. "What? Of course you do!"

"You said you lost everything that ever mattered, but you ain't lost me."

Her eyes blinked wide as it sunk in what she'd said. She crossed over to him, putting her palms to his cheeks. "Oh, god, Daryl, no! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that!"

The pressure on his chest eased at her words, and he wrapped his arms around her in his relief, pressing his cheek against her temple. "You ain't lost me, and you ain't ever gonna lose me if I can help it. Whatever the hell happens today won't change that. Ain't _nothin_ ' gonna change that."

She squeezed him tight and choked out a sound that he couldn't decide was tears or laughter. So he decided to go all in. He turned his head so his lips were right at her ear.

"So what if you're a wreck? I'm a wreck. Hell, we're all fuckin' basket cases right now. It don't matter. I love you, and I'ma be here for you no matter what."

She jerked back to fix him with a shocked stare. He felt his cheeks flush a little under the scrutiny, but he quirked a corner of his lips, hoping like hell he hadn't royally fucked this up by dropping this on her when she was so vulnerable.

But she gave him a soft smile back and let her eyes drift closed as she leaned up to kiss him. And even though it was a sweet, simple kiss, his heart skipped double time. She drew away, so he let his hands slip down to her hips.

"So," he drawled, "guess we best go see what kind of clusterfuck is waitin' for us downstairs."

"I guess so," she agreed with a hint of a smile.

So they put on their boots, strapped on their weapons, and headed downstairs together.


	7. Repercussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Though I'm annoyed with Maggie for her easy acceptance of Rick's banishing of Carol, I actually like her rather a lot most of the time. But somehow in this story she hopped the bitch train and won't get off. So apologies to Maggie and Maggie fans.**

Carol paused at the top of the stairs. Daryl stayed half a step behind her, waiting until she was ready to take the plunge. The shit had already hit the fan, and this morning he expected they'd see where it landed. She turned to glance uncertainly up at him. He peered back at her through his overly long hair and let his fingers drift to the small of her back as both a gesture of support and encouragement to get this the hell over with. She sighed and started making her way down.

There was no one in the front room, so they went to the kitchen. The murmuring voices went silent as soon as they appeared in the doorway. Daryl eyed everyone cautiously, waiting to see what would happen. Maggie was the only one who seemed hostile. Sasha was staring out the kitchen window with red-rimmed eyes and tear tracks on her face. Beth sat at the table feeding Judith and watching everyone nervously. After a moment, Bob stepped forward apparently as an intermediary.

"Morning. So...uh. We're just about finished with breakfast in here. Gonna go lay Tyreese to rest after." He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "We're leaving Lizzie to you."

Daryl glanced over to the table where Mika was sitting. She had been finishing her food, but now she stared down at the last of it with teary eyes.

Carol nodded with eyes lowered, accepting that she was to be excluded from anything to do with Ty's burial. "And after that?"

Bob turned back to Maggie for a moment of silent communication. Sasha continued gazing blankly out the window. Then he turned back to Carol and Daryl. "After that, we're continuing on to this Terminus. Maggie's sure that if Glenn made it out, he'd go there looking for her. We...would prefer you not come with us."

Pressing her lips together to hold back whatever she might be feeling, Carol nodded again.

"We're taking the kids," Bob added reluctantly.

"No!" Carol's eyes snapped up, and she took a step toward the table, but Maggie stepped forward, too, as if to intercept her. "You can't take Mika away! If you think I'm going to let you leave with her-"

"Well, we think she'll be safer with us!" Maggie interrupted her. "None of us have a history of letting kids die. You're two outta three already – I think it's pretty clear who ain't fit to be a mother."

Carol's hand flew to her mouth, and she shrank back as if the words had been a physical blow. Shocked to the core that anyone, let alone Maggie, could be so vicious, Daryl stepped in front of Carol protectively, though he knew the damage had already been done. Bob had wisely put a hand on Maggie's arm and pulled her back. He spoke softly into her ear, then pushed her to stand behind him near Sasha.

Daryl shook in his rage, but kept himself in check for Carol's sake. He snarled, "What the fuckin' hell is wrong with you? How could you say somethin' like that?"

Bob held up a placating hand. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. But we are taking the kids with us." He turned to fix Maggie with a warning glare.

"Fuckin' A, it was uncalled for! And there ain't no way in hell you're takin' Mika with you," Daryl growled.

Bob shook his head. "We've discussed it and decided-"

"Did anybody ask what Mika wants?" The sharpness in the normally soft voice surprised them. All eyes turned to the table, where Beth sat, her eyebrows up and her jaw set.

Mika had been watching the exchange with terrified eyes, looking as though she might burst into tears at any second. Now she turned those eyes to Beth in confusion. "Nobody ever asks. I'm just a kid."

"Doesn't matter. You're a person, it's your life, and you should be allowed to choose." Beth threw the rest of the group a blistering look before returning her attention to the girl across from her. "So who would you choose to go with?"

Mika's eyes flicked back and forth between Beth and the others in the room. "I want to stay with Carol."

Maggie snorted, but managed to keep her mouth shut.

Bob frowned, but nodded. "Fine, but Judith comes with us. There's more of us to protect her."

He took a step forward and continued earnestly, "Look, I'm sorry it's gotta be like this, but you know we can't all stay together. We split the supplies as best we could, so nobody's going without."

Daryl gave an abrupt nod acknowledging that Bob was right. The group was fractured beyond repair – he'd known before they came downstairs they'd be left on their own. As long as Carol had Mika and he had Carol, they could deal with it.

"Sasha? It's time to go bury Tyreese." Bob took Sasha's arm and led her away from the window. Her devastation over her brother's death left her unresponsive, and she followed Bob without question or any apparent interest in what was happening. But as they approached the door, she lifted her face to meet Carol's gaze briefly. Neither of them spoke, but Daryl could feel the powerful weight of the look they shared, laden as it was with anguish, sorrow, and regret.

Maggie followed behind, and other than a sneer, she kept her opinions to herself. Daryl kept himself between her and Carol as she went, but was surprised to feel Carol's hand on his arm, gently pushing him aside.

"Maggie?" Carol said as she stepped up beside him. "I hope you and Glenn find each other again."

Maggie's face twitched as emotion rippled across her features too rapidly to identify. She lifted her chin and strode out the door without looking back.

Beth gathered up the baby and her things from the table. "I'm so sorry Maggie's bein' so awful. She's hurting...'cause of Daddy. And she's scared about Glenn. Not knowin' if he's alive or dead is killin' her."

Daryl looked down at Carol. Seemed to him she'd been left to agonize over Sophia's fate at the farm, and she'd never taken it out on other people. In fact, she'd shown compassion for Lori and Rick when their own child was on the verge of death, and she'd reached out to him, drawing him into the group kicking and screaming until he'd become part of a family. He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his side.

Beth brought Asskicker to Carol and passed her over. "Might as well spend some time with her before we go. I'm gonna miss you so much. But I can't leave Maggie now that I've got her back. I can't." Tears rolled over her cheeks, and her lip quivered as she tried to hold them back.

"I know. She's your sister." Carol gave Beth a watery smile and put a hand to her face before letting her go join the others preparing to bury Tyreese. After Beth was gone, Carol pressed her cheek to Asskicker's and trembled with the effort not to cry.

Daryl glanced over to Mika, who seemed to be trying her best to be invisible. When she noticed him watching, she shrank even further into herself. So he pulled Carol close to his side and kissed her on the head. When she raised her eyes to his, he nodded over toward Mika and reached out to take Asskicker. Carol handed over the baby and went to sit by Mika, who threw herself onto Carol's lap, flinging her arms around her, and burying her face in her shirt. Daryl watched the two of them as he bounced the baby, his heart breaking for them both.

Then he turned his attention to the child in his arms. In just a few minutes, she would be taken away. The thought of never seeing her again stirred a deep sorrow inside him. Her little life would move on without him, without Carol. She'd walk and talk, and discover the world – a harsh world where she'd likely learn to hunt, hide, and kill instead of reading, writing, and arithmetic. He'd never get the chance to know the person she would grow up to be, and he missed her already, mourning her as though she would be dead instead of just gone. So he talked to her. He leaned in close and told her all the things he wouldn't be able to tell her later. He told her about his brother Merle and about her mother Lori. He told her about Sophia, Hershel, and Tyreese, who she would never know, but who would have loved her. And he told her about Carol who loved her as a mother, and who he loved with all his heart.

Eventually, Mika's tears eased, so Daryl brought the baby back to Carol so she could say her goodbyes. She juggled Judith with her uninjured arm and walked around the room, talking to her much as he had, telling her she would always be loved even if they weren't together. Her voice was unsteady, but her eyes were dry.

When Beth poked her head into the kitchen a couple hours later, he felt the tension rise. It was time. They all filed out into the front room where half of their remaining family was ready to leave them. Carol passed Judith back to Beth, giving her one last kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful out there. Keep each other safe." Beth's chin wobbled with her effort not to cry.

"You, too," Carol replied softly.

After that it got incredibly awkward. Beth threw her arms around Daryl in a one-sided hug. It wasn't that he wouldn't miss her, she just caught him off guard, and he didn't know how to react. Maggie eyed them coldly and fidgeted by the front door, clear in her intention to get out of there as quickly as possible. Bob made his half-hearted goodbyes, then fussed with the bag he carried. The little group finally made its way to the door, but Sasha turned at the last minute, breaking out of her melancholy enough to catch Carol by the arm. Her voice was raw, and her sunken eyes were bleak.

"I do understand. I know you were trying to protect that little girl. I see that. But because of you my brother – my only flesh and blood in this shit world – is dead. And I won't ever forget that." After a long look, she dropped Carol's wrist, turned, and left.

The silence in the room after they closed the door behind them was heavy. Mika drifted over and slipped her hand into Carol's. Looking down, Carol smoothed the girl's hair and tried to smile.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go start collecting anything you want to take with you?"

"You won't leave without me, will you?" Mika sounded even younger than her years.

Carol knelt beside her and pulled her into a one-armed hug, leaving her wounded arm tucked against her ribs. "Of course not! We love you, and we'd never, ever leave you behind, would we?"

"Hell, no. Rather leave my crossbow behind."

Mika turned her wide eyes on him, and a little smile broke through the fear and sorrow on her face. She tucked her shirt behind the handle of her knife and marched into the bedroom she and Lizzie had shared to gather up the things they had found to keep.

Carol watched her go, still kneeling in the middle of the room. He could see the moment the walls broke down. She'd been keeping everything in since last night – trying to be strong for Mika, trying not to let anyone see the depth of her wounds. Her face was tight as she watched Mika leave, then it all crumbled. Her head dropped forward and her shoulders convulsed as the sobs wracked her thin body. Daryl knelt and put a hesitant hand on her shuddering back. She flung herself against his chest, and his arms automatically wrapped around her. He held her tight as all the heartache and anguish she'd been holding back surged up and poured out of her in a flood. She clung to him with her good arm as the sobs tore through her, but even in her pain, she was nearly silent – the only sound her gasping breaths.

Suddenly she pushed away from him, her head down, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. She pulled in a deep breath to bring herself back under control. When she finally opened her eyes, they were hollow and tired, but she smiled a little. She wiped away her tears with her sleeve.

"Sorry. Getting weird again."

He brushed away the last of her tears with his thumb. "Told you – ain't weird. Just wish I could do somethin' to make it better."

"Don't worry. You do." The faint smile faded, and she turned toward the other bedroom where blood and death awaited. "But now we need to go bury my little girl."


	8. Desolation

Daryl went outside to find the shovel the others had used to dig the grave for Tyreese. They'd buried him under one of the live oaks in the front yard and left the shovel propped against the massive tree trunk. He picked it up and paused to look up into the huge spread of branches above him, dripping with ferns and Spanish moss. The tree was the perfect grave marker for Ty – as broad and strong as the man himself.

Giving the trunk a pat, he walked across the yard to the matching tree on the other side. He started digging on the east side of the tree so the morning sun would filter through the leaves to warm the grave after they had gone and no one was left to remember the child buried in it. He worked a furious pace, quickly working up a sweat and ripping loose a couple of the calluses on his palms. The stinging in his hands and the burning of his muscles was the least of what he deserved for killing that girl. There hadn't been a choice, but he'd still killed a child. Carol's child. All the guilt and self-loathing he'd felt ever since he'd failed to find Sophia came flooding back. But back then he hadn't truly been at fault. He knew that, though it didn't diminish the guilt he felt. This time...this time it _was_ all on him. He'd killed Lizzie.

It was nearly noon by the time he finished. He left the shovel next to the porch and went inside to find Carol and Mika. Stopping in the doorway of the kitchen, he caught Carol's eye and nodded to let her know it was time. Then he went to the bedroom where Lizzie's body still lay under the blanket. Flies had already started circling the room, attracted by the blood. But the blanket kept her protected. He carefully wrapped her up and carried her outside. Dead things usually seemed heavier than they should, but she seemed to weigh nothing in his arms. She was so fragile and small. And now she was dead.

Carol and Mika waited hand in hand next to the tree. He carried the body to the grave and settled her into it. When she was in place, he stood next to Carol, but didn't reach out to her. Didn't touch her. He didn't think he had that right since he was the reason she was having to say goodbye in the first place.

While he'd been digging, they'd gathered handfuls of wildflowers. Mika had fat tears rolling down her face as she looked down into the grave. She stepped to the edge, dropped the flowers in, and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Lizzie."

Carol stepped up behind Mika and dropped her handful of flowers onto the body. She stood for a long while, staring down into that hole, looking like she might say something, but she never did. When she turned her eyes to Daryl, they were hollow and flat. He didn't like seeing them without their usual sparkle.

"I'll finish up," she told him, shaking her head when he began to protest. "Take Mika inside. We should get moving soon."

He frowned, but agreed. The two of them turned back toward the house, and as they walked, Mika slipped her hand into his. He looked down in surprise. He'd have thought she'd be...something. Angry. Hateful. Afraid. He'd killed her sister for Christ's sake. But instead she reached for his hand. So he gave hers a squeeze and just kept walking.

"Let's do an idiot check. You check downstairs, I'll do upstairs." What little they had was already packed up and ready to go, but he figured Carol would want some time alone.

Mika eyed him doubtfully. "What's an idiot check?"

"It's where you check to make sure you didn't forget nothing before you leave a place. Make sure you ain't an idiot."

"Okay." She disappeared into the kitchen. Daryl closed the door to the bloody bedroom as soon as she was gone.

He trudged up the stairs and gave a half-assed look around the upstairs bedrooms. In the master bedroom, he paused at the window overlooking the front yard. He could see Carol through the branches of the oak tree, moving shovelfuls of dirt over and over again. He watched her long enough that she finished filling in the grave and now stood in front of it still as a statue.

"Found one." Mika's voice startled him. He must have zoned out – that was bad. The three of them were so emotionally wrecked he'd have to take extra care to stay alert once they were on the road again.

"Found one what?" he asked.

She pointed at him and giggled. "An idiot."

His eyebrows went up. "Are you sassin' me?"

"Yeah."

"Git yer ass downstairs," he said, smothering a grin. She tore down the stairs sounding like a herd of elephants rather than the 10-year-old girl she was. He knew she was a long way from being okay after the last several days, but he was glad to see she could still be a kid.

He followed her downstairs and helped her pack up the last of their things into whatever they could find to carry them. They were packed and ready, but they didn't have anywhere to go. Carol came back in as they were finishing up. She met his eyes and gave a smile that was supposed to reassure him, but failed miserably. Her eyes were still dull and empty.

They sat at the kitchen table, intending to share some of the food they had, but no one was hungry so they saved it instead. What they needed was a direction to go. A goal.

"So where we headed?" Daryl asked gently.

Eyes on the table, Carol just shook her head.

"We got options, and things to consider. Terminus is the big one. They didn't want us to go with them, but that ain't saying we can't follow them there – make sure everyone gets there okay, see if anyone else from the prison made it. Ain't gotta stay if we don't want to."

She just shrugged. He glanced at Mika who was also watching Carol with worry on her face.

"Or we can go somewhere else. See if we can't find someplace we can make safe, or find another settlement might take us in."

"Whatever you think is best," Carol said softly.

"Hey," He tipped his head so he could look up into her face and reached out to touch her arm. "There's three of us – ain't just me. I wanna know what you think. Both of you."

She looked up then and for an instant, anger flashed in her eyes. Her voice was tight and hard. "It doesn't matter where we go, Daryl! None of it matters. It's the same everywhere, and it's only a matter of time before-"

Choking off her words, she fell back into silence and clenched her jaw tightly as she fought for control. Mika shrank down in her chair at the fury in her voice, eyes wide and flicking between Daryl and Carol. Mika's fear seemed to help Carol find her composure again. She pulled the girl's chair closer to her own and drew her in with an arm around her shoulder. Mika's hand clutched at her jacket.

Considering how fragile she seemed to be, Daryl decided maybe she really did just need him to take the lead for a while. "Okay, let's keep following the tracks for now. If we change our minds later, ain't no big deal."

She nodded her agreement – or at least her lack of disagreement – and stroked Mika's hair, keeping her eyes down, as though afraid to let him see what was in them. She stood stiffly and went to the front room to pick up her share of the load. They followed her example and when they'd gathered up everything they had, the three of them left the house for good.

At the end of the drive, Carol paused for a moment to look silently back at the empty house with its twin oaks standing watch over their fallen family. Then without a word, she turned and walked away with Mika's hand in hers. They followed Daryl back to the railroad tracks and they resumed their trek toward their supposed salvation. Even if Terminus was the sanctuary they hoped for, it would be tainted. Temporary. They couldn't stay even if it were paradise. But right now, they had nowhere else to go.

They walked for several hours before deciding to make camp. There was a river just ahead of them, which limited the directions from which walkers could approach, though they hadn't seen one all day. Since there was very little food, Daryl went into the forest to hunt, leaving Carol and Mika to set up their camp and make a fire. He came back with a treasure in hand – a wild turkey. By the time they'd cooked and eaten, it was full dark. Daryl took first watch, letting Carol and Mika curl up together to sleep on the woolen blanket they'd brought from the house. Their fire was small and didn't completely stave off the slight chill of night.

He sat leaned up against a tree keeping one eye on the woods and one on his girls. Carol's behavior worried him. He'd never seen her so hopeless, and he had no idea what to do to help her. Assuming there _was_ anything to do.

Movement in the corner of his eye brought him to full alert. But when he spotted what had moved, he relaxed again. A silver fox was watching him from the trees, so he watched it back. He idly considered killing it for its pelt, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Its blue-grey eyes seemed far too intelligent for the sharp face. With the way it looked at him, it was like it was there to offer him sympathy – like it understood how terrible the last few days had been and was just here to commiserate.

"Thanks, buddy," he mumbled.

And just like that, it vanished into the darkness without a sound.

He stayed awake as long as he could – well past the halfway point of the night – but he needed some sleep if he intended to keep them all safe and fed. Leaning over Carol, he brushed the back of one finger over her cheek. With a quick inhalation, she started awake, tension bleeding away as she realized it was just him. Nodding, she rubbed her fingers over her eyes and sat up, untangling herself from Mika as she went.

Once she was awake, he lay down near Mika with his back to her. Tucking his arm under his head as a pillow, his exhausted body dragged him almost immediately into sleep.

He must not have moved in the hours he slept because when he woke just after dawn, he was still on his side feeling stiff and sore. Peering over his shoulder, he could see the mysterious warm spot in the middle of his back was from Mika, who had cuddled up to his warmth in the night.

Suddenly he realized he couldn't see Carol. He jumped to his feet and snatched up his crossbow, waking Mika with the sudden movement. She groaned grumpily. He waved her to silence, looking around with sharp eyes, trying to figure out where Carol had gone. Walkers would have woken them, so she must have gone somewhere on her own. He tried to squelch the nerves by telling himself she'd probably just gone off to take a piss, but until he knew for sure, anxiety reigned.

He spotted her tracks leading off toward the river. Waving Mika over, he whispered to her, "Carol went off that way, but she didn't tell me where she was goin'. Stay quiet behind me. We're gonna go make sure she's all right."

Mika nodded and fell in behind him, doing a pretty reasonable job of moving quietly for a kid. They followed the trail to the river, where the train tracks crossed it. Partway across the old wooden trestle, Carol sat on the end of a railroad tie, staring down into the dark water. He put a hand on Mika's shoulder and crouched next to her by the side of the tracks.

"I'm gonna go talk to Carol. I need you to stay here – you be okay with that? Just be a few minutes, and we'll be right out there if anything happens."

Mika's eyes drifted out to where the silver haired woman perched over the water. She nodded. "You go ahead. She's scared." Her eyes lasered into his then. "She needs you."

Daryl chewed the inside of his cheek as he regarded the girl in front of him. In this shithole world, children didn't get to be children anymore. He gave her shoulder a squeeze.

He trotted up to the tracks and made his way carefully along the trestle out to where Carol sat. The structure was sturdy enough, but it was dizzying to walk over the open ties with the water rushing below. Before he got too close, he called out, not wanting to startle her into falling the twenty feet or so into the churning river.

"Carol?" She didn't look up, so he tried again. "Carol? You okay?"

Slowly, as if in a dream, she turned her head his way. She met his eyes, and his heart stuttered with what he saw there. Or rather, what he didn't see. There was no spark, no fire. Lifeless, like an injured animal when it's given up and is just waiting for the end. Acid rolled in his stomach at the comparison.

"Hey," he said as he approached. "What're you doin' out here? You were gone when I woke up." He sat carefully next to her on the old rotting ties.

She shrugged and turned her eyes to the water again. "Just needed to think."

"'Bout what?" he asked.

"Karen and David. Lizzie. Ty." She paused briefly before adding, "Sophia... All the people we've lost. Everyone who's died."

He nodded, but kept quiet.

Sighing, she looked up toward where the river disappeared around a bend in the distance. "Why the hell should we fight so damn hard to live when we're just going to end up dead with nothing to show for the time we do stay alive but more pain?"

Fear skittered through him at her words.

"It ain't just about biding time before dyin'." He didn't know what to say, but he had to say something. He needed her to focus on him, to stay with him. "And pain only comes because there's somethin' there to hurt for. Ain't no pain without love, and the love is worth fightin' for, ain't it?"

She didn't answer, so he kept talking.

"Sure, things suck ass now that the world's all gone to shit, but it ain't really any different than it's ever been. It's still people workin' to make a life together – clawin' and scratchin' something for themselves out of the bullshit we all slog through every day. And for however long it lasts, I wanna make a life with you." He cleared his throat, not sure how he ended up here. "Carol, you're scarin' me. I can't lose you again."

He reached a hand out tentatively, not sure what he was reaching for, but needing to touch her. She glanced down at his hand for a moment before reaching to take it in her own. Looking back up at him, she smiled, but it was as empty and lifeless as her eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm not about to fling myself dramatically off a cliff or anything. I just...don't know how much fight I've got left in me."

A cold, crushing pressure in his chest made it hard to breathe.

"Do you love me?" He blurted it out without meaning to, and once it was out, he wasn't sure if he was ready to hear the answer.

Something flickered behind her eyes as she looked at him – some unidentifiable emotion rippling under the surface. Her face twisted painfully. "Oh, Daryl..."

A sharp scream cut through whatever answer she might have given him. He jumped to his feet, looking back toward the bank, when he heard Carol scream, too. "MIKA!"

The girl had started coming across the bridge – either to join them in the middle or just messing around as kids do – but she'd slipped. Daryl went cold when he saw her splash into the river below and disappear under the dark, rushing waters.


	9. Revivification

"MIKA!" Carol screamed and would have thrown herself right into the water after her if Daryl hadn't caught her.

"Carol, NO!" He grabbed her face and bored his eyes into hers. "You can't swim with that arm, and it'll get infected. Go back to the bank and run. I'm going in after her."

She clutched at his arms, but he pushed his crossbow into her hands and shoved her away before jumping, keeping one eye on Mika's bobbing head as she was swept downstream. He briefly heard Carol scream his name as he fell, then there was nothing but the shocking, icy rush of the river's current dragging him along. He surfaced and scanned ahead, trying to find Mika again. He was a strong swimmer, but rivers were unpredictable and dangerous as hell, and the water was so cold, he had to fight the cramping in his muscles to keep moving. If he didn't catch her, the chances of her getting out safely on her own were slim.

"Mika!" he shouted, but the rushing water was so loud he could barely hear himself.

He kept himself angled downstream, looking ahead to avoid the worst of the rocks and debris as he was swept along. Despite his best efforts, he took a few good knocks on a series of boulders, but he kept going.

Just ahead and to the left, he saw Mika caught in the branches of a fallen tree. She was clinging to the slender limbs, eyes panicky as the water splashed and rushed over her face. He swam straight for the left bank, making as much progress that direction as possible before the current swept him past the tree. He was just barely able to snag a branch as he was pulled past it. Hand over hand, he dragged himself against the current toward her. When he was finally close enough, he reached a hand out to her, calling her name. She launched herself to him, grabbing him in a grip far stronger than he would have expected from someone so small. Clawing her way up his arm, she ended up with her arms locked tightly around his neck and her legs clamped around his ribs. But her panicked movements and the added drag of the current combined to rip the branch right from his hand, and they plunged out of control down the river again.

"Hang on!" he shouted to her. He turned them so he was on his back with his feet downstream to protect against impact, and they rode the river for what felt like an hour, but was probably only a few seconds in reality. There were a couple of opportunities to grab for rocks and logs, but he wasn't able to get enough of a grip on anything to stop them.

"Shit!" They were swept over a small drop – it wasn't much but it was enough to send them tumbling under the water. Mika's legs yanked loose from his ribs as they rolled. His head broke the surface for just a second, enough to grab a lungful of air before he was pulled under again. Searing pain lanced through him as he smashed into something hard, knocking the breath from his lungs. Struggling to keep a hold on Mika, he grabbed at her, but in a swirl of arms and legs, she was ripped away from him in the churning water.

He was tossed and tumbled through the rapids, leaving him completely disoriented. He fought to reach the surface as his lungs burned, the need to breathe becoming more urgent than any pain, but he didn't know which way was up. He struggled, desperate for air. His mind raced, panicked that he wouldn't ever find his way out of the river. His chest and head felt like they might explode any second. As he ran out of oxygen, his mind clouded and his body stilled. Blackness crept in and swaddled him until there was nothing.

* * *

Pain met him when awareness returned. Pain like he'd never felt before. Agonizing coughs wracked his body and there was water everywhere, in places it didn't belong. His gut convulsed and he vomited up more water. As the painful wrenching eventually eased, he became vaguely aware of hands touching him and a voice calling his name. He pushed at the hands, fighting against them as they held him down, but they were stronger than he was.

The river. He'd been in the river.

"Mika," he croaked, triggering a new round of coughing. The hands were there again, this time helping him turn onto his side so the water he brought up could drain away.

When he rolled onto his back again, there was more water dripping onto his face, but it was warm instead of the icy cold of the river. Confused, he opened his lids and peered into familiar blue eyes. Carol. He reached up with one hand to touch her cheek, wet with tears.

"Daryl?" Her voice cracked and wavered. "Oh, God! Ohhh, baby." She stroked his hair and pressed her palms against his cheeks as she cried, hiccuping tears and hysterical sounding laughter fighting their way out of her at the same time. Laying her forehead down on his chest, she opened up then in body-wracking, barking sobs that shook her to her bones. Her hands slipped up under his sopping leather vest, her fingers bunching up into his shirt and digging into his skin beneath. He flinched at the pain in his ribs, but put a hand on her shoulder and one on the back of her head, which was the best he could manage. She cried loud, messy tears as she purged some of the ugly pain from her body. All the stress and fear and grief she'd been holding in was trying to come out at once. He rubbed his fingers against her scalp and mumbled what he hoped were comforting words.

In the middle of it all, she grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him, aggressive and inelegant – easily the soggiest, saltiest kiss he'd ever experienced. Pulling away roughly, she gripped the front of his shirt in both fists, and glared.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again!"

She was angry? Confused, he asked, "What?"

She laid her cheek back on his chest. "I thought you were dead." He felt her shaking as the tears came harder again.

His head was still muzzy and he couldn't quite follow her. "I'm sorry," he rasped. "I lost her. I had her, and then she was gone. I'm sorry." A new pain tore through his chest, and he choked out a strangled sob. Another child lost. He'd failed her again.

"Oh, god, sweetheart, no – don't be sorry! You're so brave, and so strong. And _so_ goddamn stupid to jump in the river like that! I know you were trying to save Mika, but if you died? God, Daryl, I couldn't..." She took a hitching breath. "I can't do this without you."

He raised her chin so he could look into her face, blotchy and red, with dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes. She looked like hell. She was beautiful. He smiled softly.

She put a gentle hand to his jaw. "I'm sorry for being an idiot before. I won't give up or stop fighting. I love you, Daryl. So much. And I want to make a life with you."

His heart swelled – she loved him! He pushed himself up to his elbows and hissed at the searing pain in his ribs. Her whole demeanor instantly changed. "Shit! What hurts? I was so happy you were _alive_ , I didn't think about anything else!"

"Ribs. Hit a rock. Probably just bruised." He didn't know if that was true, but they wouldn't be able to do anything for it even if they were broken.

"Let me take a look," she said as she helped him sit up. But when she tried to remove his vest, he caught her hands and shook his head.

"Just help me up. We gotta start walkin' – look for Mika."

She hesitated, then nodded. Getting his arm over her shoulder on the uninjured side, she helped him to his feet. Once he was upright, he was able to walk on his own, though he moved gingerly. There were plenty of sore parts besides his ribs, as it turned out. They walked slowly downstream, keeping a close eye on the water and both banks.

They continued on for hours, pausing often, but only briefly, for Daryl to rest. They saw no signs of Mika, walkers, or anyone else. Eventually, they saw a bridge ahead of them. It was a road that crossed the river, not train tracks, but they took advantage of the high vantage point. They made their way slowly up the embankment to reach the bridge. Looking out over the river, his heart sank. Not much farther ahead, the water disappeared over a sharp drop.

Carol put a hand on his arm. "Stay here for a minute. I'll go look."

He thought about objecting, but frankly he needed the break. His ribs and lungs were screaming. She made her way along the bank and scrambled up the rocky hill to peer over the edge. She looked for a long time, but in all directions, so he guessed she didn't see Mika anywhere. He felt a little sick.

When she came back, she shook her head. "I couldn't see anything. It's a sheer drop with a rocky bottom, and I didn't see any way to climb down. It's rocky and rugged from there on out – I don't think there's any way we can keep going. And if she was swept this far down – that fall? I don't...I don't think..." Tears brimmed again as her voice failed her.

He pulled her to him in a careful embrace. He didn't offer any comforting words as she cried this time. There weren't any.

"I promised her," she said, sounding haunted. "I promised we wouldn't leave her."

"We didn't. We didn't leave her – it was just an accident."

"I promised," she whispered into his shoulder.

He nodded as he held her. It didn't matter whether it was an accident or not. Mika was still gone, and it still hurt like hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N slash disclaimer: If someone has a near-drowning experience, please take them to the hospital even if they seem fine after. They're probably not fine.**


	10. Resignation

They stood together on the bridge over the churning river for a long time, wrapped in the scant comfort of each other's arms. Eventually, Carol eased herself away and leaned against the bridge railing, rubbing her hands over her face.

"I guess we should head back to camp. We need the food and water we left there, since you shouldn't hunt for a while." She was always practical, even in tragedy. "We can stay there a couple of days to let you rest up."

Daryl tipped his head in a non-rib-jarring shrug and wandered across to the other side of the bridge to gaze back upstream. It felt like giving up on Mika – like they were abandoning her to the river. But he knew they didn't really have much choice. They'd come looking as far as they physically could and hadn't found her. Glancing off to the right, he frowned. There was something on the riverbank he hadn't seen before, since they'd previously been so focused downstream.

"There's somethin' here," he said, as he shuffled his way across the bridge to the far bank. She followed, and he could feel the hope radiating off of her, and he sort of wished he hadn't said anything. He should have looked first so she wouldn't be crushed if it turned out to be nothing.

"Look." He pointed at the bank below. "Someone was here recently. Several someones, actually."

He made his way carefully down the embankment to have a closer look. Skirting the area, he followed the tracks to a clearing a ways into the trees lining the road.

"There was a camp here last night. At least four people, maybe five. Two're most likely women. No more than a couple hours ago, some of them were at the water's edge. Can't tell for sure which direction they went – it's too messy – but they were traveling on the road."

Carol asked, "Do we try to find them? What if they saw Mika?"

He shook his head. "Ain't no way to know what kinda people they are, and I ain't in no shape to be gettin' in a fight if they're not the friendly type. Hell, even if we pick the right direction, we ain't gonna catch 'em since I'm so fuckin' slow."

She hesitated, desperate to follow this new possibility, but recognizing the futility. She nodded tightly and shifted his crossbow on her shoulder. "Come on, then. Let's go back."

The return trip was going to take them even longer than it had to get here since it was uphill the whole way. Granted it wasn't steep, but it made for a taxing hike when he was already so tired and sore. As they walked, Carol would occasionally reach out, brushing his arm or touching the small of his back as he stepped over rugged or unstable areas. The touches became more frequent as the hours dragged by, each one sending a tiny spark through him, easing the fatigue and soothing the pain in his ribs. When she reached again to touch his arm, he caught her hand in his and held it. He saw her glance up at him, but she didn't pull her hand away.

The day was fading by the time they reached their campsite, hungry and exhausted. They both gulped down water, then Carol worked to start a small fire while he rifled through their bags for any food they might have left. After they'd eaten, she went to the water's edge to gather a pan full of water to put over the fire to boil. Their supply of bottled water was nearly gone. She turned to him once it was heating.

"Let me look at your ribs," she said.

Sighing, he pulled at his vest, working it carefully from his shoulders. Once it was clear he would allow her to look, she knelt next to him to help ease him out of the leather, stiff from the soaking in the river. After the vest was off, he paused at the prospect of taking off his shirt, nerves rippling through his belly. He started to unbutton it and winced at the discomfort of holding himself upright.

She put a hand on his, stilling them. "Stop. Let me."

Nodding, he leaned back on his hands again, taking the pressure off his ribs. She started with the top button, undoing it carefully, tugging gently at the material without touching him. It registered suddenly that she was undressing him. It felt strange and extremely intimate somehow, even though it was just so she could check on his injury. As her fingers slid down to the second button, he realized she was nervous, too – there was a tremor in her hands. Her face was intense in her concentration, as though buttons had become an elaborate puzzle to be solved. She kept her eyes on his shirt, not letting her gaze meet his. As she worked the third one free, her finger brushed ever so briefly against the skin high on his belly. He sucked in a quick breath at the sensation, closing his eyes. Every nerve was extra sensitive, feeling the fabric move across his skin in minute detail, and her touch might as well have been a live wire. He held back a groan. His scalp tingled and his dick hardened, all from the accidental touch of one fingertip.

After she unfastened the final button, working all too near his aroused cock, she slipped her hands inside his shirt, sliding it over his shoulders. He shuddered as her fingers skimmed over his chest.

"Lie down on your side." Her voice was low and liquid, barely louder than a whisper.

He shook his hands free from the shirt as he arranged himself on his side, exposing his injured ribs to her scrutiny.

"I'll need to touch you. It's going to hurt," she warned.

His mouth was dry, so he swallowed and nodded. Despite his best efforts not to, he flinched when she put her hands on him. She worked quickly and efficiently, checking his ribs. It hurt like a motherfucker, but he tried to stay quiet and still for her. He distracted himself from the pain by focusing on how good her touch would feel if he weren't hurt.

After forever, she let her hand rest on his hip and sat back a bit. "I'm far from an expert, but I don't feel anything badly broken. Could be cracked, and you're definitely bruised. Stay here and don't move for a minute. I'm going to the river's edge – I'll be right back."

With his head pillowed on his arm, he watched her walk away. In spite of his sore ribs and his blood still humming with arousal, now that he was lying down, exhaustion pulled at him. He must have dozed off because Carol's hand on his shoulder startled him, and she was kneeling right in front of him.

"This should help a little." She held out a big handful of green gunk.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Comfrey leaf poultice. Supposed to help with bruising and inflammation." She raised her eyebrows, seeking permission to apply it.

"Okay," he said, bracing himself again for his body's response to her touch.

Very gently, she placed the handful of pulp on his side where the worst of the bruising was, packing it carefully against his skin. Once it was in place, she didn't pull her hand away, instead letting her fingers smooth around the edges of the poultice, traveling out over the discoloration that peeked from underneath. His heart beat madly in his chest, and he wondered if she could feel it. She could certainly see his crazy breathing, but she might attribute that to pain.

"You should keep it on there as long as you can. We can get more in the morning."

Her fingers stopped their delicate tracing, and she put her hand flat on his side, just below the bruises. Her palm seared its impression into his skin like a branding iron. "Thank you."

He frowned a bit. "For what?"

She tipped her head as she looked down at him. "For trying to save Mika. For being crazy enough to almost get yourself killed – again – to help a little girl." Her hand left his side to brush the hair from his eyes. "For being who you are."

Shifting uncomfortably, he grumbled, "I ain't nobody. Wasn't thinkin' about it, I just did it."

"Exactly." She smiled. "It's just who you are."

He wasn't sure what to say to that, so he kept his mouth shut. They both fell quiet. After a while, she drew her knees up to her chest and folded her arms across them. Resting her chin on her arms, she stared across into the fire.

"Do you think Mika's dead? She's probably dead, isn't she?" she asked softly.

"Dunno," he said honestly.

"If she made it out of the river, she'd be exhausted, hungry, hurt." She paused, her face very still. "It's Sophia all over again."

Waving a beckoning hand, he said, "C'mere. Come down here with me."

"I need to watch..."

"Just for a minute."

"Your ribs..."

"Just get your ass down here."

She stretched out next to him without touching, apparently afraid of hurting him. He pulled her closer, turning her to snug her back up to his chest so he could wrap his arm around her waist and murmur into her ear.

"Life can be pretty shit since the Turn, but we'll get through the shitty parts together, no matter what happens. I dunno if Mika's still alive. She might be dead, it's true. But she had her knife, and you taught her how to protect herself. If she's out there still, she knows what to do. But whether she's alive or not, for the time she was with you, she was loved and cared for, which is more'n a lot of people ever got even before the walkers came."

She laced her fingers with his and squeezed hard. He could feel her hitch against him as she cried again for her lost girl.

"All three of your girls had the best mama they could have. They loved you as much as you love them. They were lucky girls, all of 'em."

Very carefully, she turned around to face him. For a moment, she just looked at him. Then she put a hand to his cheek and pressed her lips to his. The electric jolt he'd felt at her touch before happened again, sending a shockwave through him. He pulled her tight against his chest to deepen the kiss, opening to her, trusting that she would understand in his actions what he could never put into words. She whimpered once, softly, and returned his kiss along with the meaning behind it. Sliding his hand down to her hip, he brought her flush against him, even though he knew he shouldn't. That he wouldn't be able to make good on the promise.

She broke the kiss with a gasp, rolling her hips into his, grinding against his cock that strained against the denim of his jeans. "Daryl..."

"I know. Not now."

"Soon," she said, almost a question.

"Soon."

She brushed a thumb over his cheek. "I love you," she whispered.

A corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. "Love you."

Easing herself away from him, she sat up again. "You sleep. I'll watch."

"Wake me up when you need to. I can sit against a tree."

"Okay," she said, though he could tell she had no intention of waking him. She repositioned the pulped leaves on his side before stepping away to get settled in to watch the trees.

He kept his eyes open as long as he could just to see her looking soft and warm in the firelight. But it wasn't long before sleep claimed him again. His body was spent.

He woke on his own the next morning to see Carol boiling up some more water for them. There was another pile of leaf mulch on a cloth and a handful of berries on the blanket right in front of him, so he reached for them. His movement caught her eye, and she smiled softly.

"Morning. I didn't go far – that's all I could find nearby."

"You eat some?" he asked as he popped a berry in his mouth. The tart flavor burst over his tongue, and he sighed in pleasure. It felt like days since they'd had any real food.

"Yeah, those are for you."

He cautiously pushed himself up to sitting and peered down to see how his ribs looked. Unsurprisingly, they looked like he'd pinballed between boulders yesterday. He gave them an experimental poke and hissed as he discovered they still felt as terrible as they looked.

"It's going to be a few days before the pain eases up, and you'll still be sore for another few weeks. We can rest here until the worst of it passes."

"Hell no. We gotta move at least enough to find some food. A handful of berries ain't gonna last us long."

She scowled at him over the steaming pot on the fire. "We _will_ stay here at least a day or two. You need to rest or you won't heal. Now that you're awake, I'm going to catch a little sleep, then go out to see what I can find for food. And _you_ will sit still and get better."

He scowled back, but didn't argue. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of yesterday's endless hike. Antsy and hungry as he would be, staying put was preferable.

After pulling the boiling water from the fire, she curled up on the blanket and fell asleep. He hauled himself up and walked far enough to take a piss, then came back to kneel at the edge of the blanket with his knife. He cut a strip from the narrow end of it as a makeshift bandage. Scooping up the comfrey pulp she'd left for him, he pressed it into his side and tied the strip of blanket around it to hold it in place. Then he gingerly put his shirt and vest back on over it and sat propped up against the same tree he'd been leaning on when he saw the fox the other night.

It felt like forever he sat watching the bushes and listening to the water. He guessed it was after noon by the time Carol woke, scrubbing her eyes with her knuckles.

"I'm going to go look for something to eat. I won't go far, but since you're awake, it'll be farther than I went this morning. I won't be gone more than half an hour," she told him.

"I don't like you going out there alone. Ain't gonna be much to find anyway."

"Well, not much is better than none. And I'll be fine – I'll keep my knife in hand the whole time and my gun's fully loaded." She crouched next to him so she wasn't literally talking down to him.

He sulked, but knew there was no way he could stop her even if he really wanted to. "If you walk along the river and find a stream or slow eddy, you might find watercress."

"Thanks, I'll do that," she said with a hint of a smile.

They both froze in an instant when they heard something coming from down the tracks. Their camp was in the trees a little way, but not so far that they would automatically be safe from passing eyes. And whoever was coming was definitely alive, as they could hear the soft murmur of voices.

Carol held a hand out to Daryl so he could get to his feet quietly. She pulled her revolver and he stood with his crossbow ready to fire. They waited, hoping they wouldn't be spotted.

The sounds came closer, and there was movement in the underbrush. "Over here? You sure?" A man's voice cut clearly through to them. He was close.

"I'm positive!"

The shock of recognition left him breathless. He didn't dare believe what he heard.

A figure pushed through the trees – a large red-haired man carrying Mika in one arm as though she weighed nothing.

"Oh my god," Carol whispered next to him.

Mika looked up and her face lit up like Christmas. " _Carol!_ " The big man put her down when she pushed at him. She ran awkwardly but quickly to Carol who had dropped the weapons in her hands, fell to her knees, and opened her arms.

"Oh, Mika! Baby girl, we thought we lost you!" She swept the girl up and hugged her tight. "How? How are you here? Are you okay?"

Though relieved and grateful Mika had been returned to them, he was more wary of the heavily armed man still standing in front of them. He didn't lower his crossbow completely. "Who're you?"

The man didn't seem intimidated in the slightest. He raised his chin and shifted his assault rifle to rest against his shoulder. "Name's Abraham. Abraham Ford. We've been looking for you."


	11. Remission

Carol rocked the girl in her arms and cried the first happy tears any of them had seen in a very long time.

Daryl glared at the stranger and asked, "Mika, you okay, kiddo?"

She held out one arm without letting go of Carol's neck with the other. The extended arm was splinted and wrapped with stuff from a field first aid kit. "I broke my arm and messed up my ankle, but Abraham carries me most of the time." They must have had some serious painkillers in that kit, because she beamed up at the big man who was still keeping his eyes on Daryl.

The underbrush rustled again. "They're here!" Ford called over his shoulder to those approaching.

The rustling turned to crashing as one of the people ran forward. "Daryl? Carol?"

Carol gasped at the familiar voice. "Glenn... _Glenn?_ "

Daryl lowered his crossbow as Glenn barreled onto the scene, followed by several strangers. Glenn stared at them as shock and relief warred on his face. Then with a laugh that sounded a bit manic, he ran up to Carol and dropped to his knees to pull her into a crushing embrace with a squirming Mika in the middle.

If Glenn trusted these folks, then he would, too. Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, Daryl stepped forward when Glenn stood back up, gripping his hand and pulling him into a one-armed hug at the same time. Though he normally wasn't one for physical contact, he was so fucking glad to see the young man, he didn't think twice about it until he got his ribs jarred. He tried to hide the wince, not wanting to look weak in front of strangers, regardless of who vouched for them.

"Glenn, Maggie's alive," Carol began, but he nodded and cut her off.

"I know. Mika told me."

"Who're your friends?" Daryl asked. He would have an easier time accepting these people if there were names to go with them.

So Glenn made introductions all around. They'd already met Abraham. The other man with them – Eugene – seemed a bit off, but harmless enough. The skinny woman was called Rosita and appeared to be military like Abraham. The short one was Tara, who immediately confessed her role in the attack on the prison. Said she wanted them to know and not feel like she was keeping secrets. That right there made Daryl like her more than anything. A woman of honor, despite what she seemed to think of herself right now.

Their group had camped right by the river off the road they'd been traveling. They'd packed up and were nearly ready to move on when Tara had spotted Mika caught up on a snag in the water. Abraham and Rosita had gone in to pull her out when they realized she was unconscious, injured, and half-frozen, but alive. They'd tended her injuries and continued on their way, with Mika in tow. They'd traveled a good bit down the road before she woke.

When she saw Glenn, she'd immediately burst into tears and tried to tell him everything at once – that Tyreese and Lizzie were dead, that she knew how to find Maggie, and that Carol was by the river. She told them to follow the tracks. That they would find everything if they just followed the tracks.

"Are you folks ready to move out? We'd like to get going if we can." Abraham seemed impatient, as though he had an appointment to keep.

Daryl nodded. "Just gotta pack up a few things."

"No! We are definitely not ready to go anywhere!" Carol snapped. "We need a day to rest."

He frowned. "The hell we do. I'm fine."

Her eyes bored into him. "Well, I'm not. And Mika's hurt, too." She turned to Abraham. "We can go in the morning. We don't have food and there's only a little water. We can boil more from the river and forage today and be better prepared all around for travel tomorrow."

Abraham's face never changed, but Daryl was sure he saw something behind his eyes as he nodded to Carol. Amusement? Respect? "Tomorrow morning, then."

And so they stayed in camp. Carol told Glenn everything they knew about what happened at the prison and after, giving just the barest details of Ty and Lizzie's deaths and how Maggie's group had gone on without them. Glenn told them how he'd come to be traveling with these new folks. And the new folks told them of their mission to get Eugene to Washington. Afterward, the group split up. Eugene was apparently familiar with all the local edible plants, so he, Rosita, and Abraham went off to forage for food in the surrounding woods and set a few snares.

Glenn offered to take watch with Tara, entertaining Mika at the same time by showing her how to pick the best stone to use to sharpen her knife. Carol and Daryl were both able to get some actual rest. She curled up on the blanket using one of their packs as a pillow. Daryl settled himself behind her and slipped an arm snug around her waist, as they had done that night in the house. Was that just two nights ago? It felt like an eternity.

Eyebrows up, Glenn grinned as he watched him pull her close. Daryl gave him the finger and ignored him. He didn't care anymore what people thought. Nerves, self-consciousness, anxiety – all of it had gone out the window. Somehow, through all of this, he still had Carol, and there was no way in hell he was going to miss out on any chance to hold her. Not anymore. He pressed a kiss to her neck and closed his eyes to sleep.

Some time later, he startled awake, with an eerie feeling of being watched. When he opened his eyes, Mika was sitting cross-legged just above his head peering down at him, upside down to his point of view. Carol was still sleeping in his arms, so he whispered, "What're you doing?"

She spoke softly, too. "Waiting for you to wake up."

He snorted a laugh. "Well, I'm awake now."

She didn't smile. "Thank you, Daryl." Her brown eyes were deadly serious. "Thank you for trying to save me in the river."

Sobering instantly, he replied, "Sorry I didn't do a better job of it."

"It's okay. You tried really hard. I thought you must've died. I'm glad you didn't. And we have Glenn and his friends now, and we wouldn't if you and me hadn't got pulled apart."

He nodded. His palms started to sweat and anxiety crawled over him as he considered what to say. "Mika...I'm sorry...about Lizzie. I'm sorry that I had to do that. I couldn't let her hurt you." The words were hard to get out, but he felt they needed to be said.

Her eyes remained solemnly on him. "You killed my sister."

His gut twisted. "Yeah."

"It hurts you."

"Yeah," he whispered. "More than I hope you ever have to know."

After a long pause, she reached down and patted his cheek.

"I forgive you."

At her words, he felt something crack deep down inside. He nodded because he couldn't speak. She got up then, and limped back to sit with Glenn at the edge of camp.

Carol's hand found his where it rested at her waist, and her fingers gently threaded between his own. She'd heard. Tightening his grip around her, he tucked his nose into the crook of her shoulder while whatever had cracked loose raged inside him. He shook and focused on breathing deeply and steadily so that none of it escaped where someone might see.

* * *

When the others returned from their foraging, they actually had enough food to make a meal. Daryl was impressed. He still wasn't sure what he thought about this Eugene guy, but he certainly knew his plants. The group sat and ate, planning their next steps.

"So we're agreed we should check out this Terminus, see if Glenn's wife or any of your other folks made it, and see if they can provision us for heading on to Washington," Abraham summed it up.

"Yeah, but there ain't no way I'm just gonna trust it's some kinda sanctuary cuz somebody said so. We should set up camp nearby, then scout the place out." Daryl was firm on this. It was too easy, and nothing in the world was ever easy – especially not now.

Rosita nodded. "I definitely don't want to just waltz in there expecting rainbows and lollipops. Plan for the worst, hope for the best."

Scratching his chin, Abraham agreed. "We'll find ourselves a good place to hole up, then a few of us can go have a look-see. Figure it out from there."

Now that they had a plan, the rest of the day was spent gathering as much food and water as they were able to carry. Daryl grew more irritable as they day wore on, since everyone was doing something but him. Well, him and Mika anyway. Finally he got up, swinging his crossbow over his shoulder as he went, figuring on taking a short walk upstream to look for small game. Before he got three steps, Carol was in front of him.

"You need to stay here and rest."

"I been restin'. I ain't done nothin' _but_ rest all day. Ain't goin' far."

"Ain't goin' at all," she corrected, putting a gentle hand on his forearm to keep him from brushing past. "If we're traveling tomorrow, you should get as much rest now as possible. Let your body heal. Please?"

"Dammit," he grumbled. She looked up at him, her eyes clear blue and earnest, and he knew he couldn't refuse her. "Fine. But it ain't that sore no more."

She raised her eyebrows and tipped her chin down.

"It ain't!"

She kept looking at him skeptically.

"Fine. It's sore," he grudgingly admitted. "But I'm bored as shit sittin' around here!"

"Tara just went to check the snares. If they caught anything, you can clean it."

"Whatever." He would have thrown himself down in a sulk, but that would hurt, so instead he eased himself down to lean against his tree. Again. There was only so much tuning he could do on his crossbow and his knife was already razor sharp. He was starting to wonder if a person could go crazy just from sitting still when Mika wandered over to sit against the tree with him.

"Do you think they made it to Terminus?" she asked after a minute. "Do you think we might get to see Judith?"

He felt a pang at her question. He'd deliberately avoided thinking too much about any possible reunion there. Having those kinds of hopes crushed was more than he could deal with right now.

"I dunno, kiddo. We'll find out soon enough, I guess."


	12. Apprehension

When Daryl woke the next morning, he was still sore as hell, but he felt a tiny bit better than the previous day, which gave him hope that his ribs were just badly bruised and not cracked. It was still early – the sun wasn't even up yet. Carol was still curled up nearby with Mika sawing logs in her arms like a cracked out lumberjack. He smiled a little. He'd slept better in Carol's arms, too.

He stood and stretched the best he could. Picking up his crossbow, he crossed the small camp to where Rosita and Abraham were keeping watch. Speaking softly to avoid waking anyone, he stuck a thumb upstream. "I'ma walk up the river a bit, see if I can't get us a little meat to add to breakfast."

"You sure you wanna do that? Might piss off your little woman there if she wakes up and you're not here," Abraham smirked. "I'd pay for tickets to that show."

Daryl bristled. "She ain't nobody's little woman. And I ain't askin' your advice. I'm tellin' you where I'm goin' so's you don't shoot me in the ass mistakin' me for a walker."

Abraham chuckled and shrugged. "Sure looked like she's your little woman. Didn't it look like it to you?" He turned to Rosita who was studiously ignoring them both.

"Game I bring back? You ain't gettin' any of it," Daryl snapped as he spun on a heel and took off into the trees.

He didn't go far and returned to camp less than half an hour later with several squirrels tucked into his belt. By the time he returned, though, everyone was awake and bustling. As soon as the camp was within sight, he was met by Carol's pointed stare, though she didn't say anything to him about going off on his own. Instead she sat next to him, picked up one of the squirrels, and started to clean it. Her silence made him feel more guilty than if she'd chewed him a new asshole. They cleaned the critters quickly and got them spitted over the fire while the rest of the group packed up their few belongings.

After they'd eaten, they drowned their campfire and moved out. Abraham volunteered to carry Mika again. Daryl didn't like it but couldn't argue. He'd barely be able to carry her across the trestle, never mind for the miles they hoped to cover today. Rosita led the way with Abraham and Eugene right behind her. Glenn and Tara brought up the rear. They walked for several hours before they came to a small railroad stop.

There was a clapboard building, ancient and deteriorating long before the Turn, that had served as a small depot with a platform out front next to the tracks. On the wall facing them, there was a sign wrapped in plastic showing the way to Terminus, offering sanctuary to all. Daryl chuffed under his breath. There was no way in hell this place was some magical land of safety and happiness.

Abraham put Mika down, leaving her by Carol's side. He, Rosita, and Glenn cleared the small building, only finding one walker inside what was essentially a one-room shack. After the corpse had been thrown out, the group went in and sat on the splintery benches to rest and eat. Tara stepped through the group, dividing out the food and water they had.

"From the map, it looks like we're about a day's walk from Terminus, maybe a little more. How far do we want to go before finding a place to hide out?" Carol asked. When Tara handed her a water bottle and a portion of food, she glanced up to add, "Thank you."

"I don't want to get too close. Maybe walk a few more hours? As we get closer, there's more likely to be buildings we can use." Glenn was anxious to find Maggie, but he was no idiot.

Abraham added, "We shouldn't travel on the tracks anymore, either. We can follow them out of sight in the trees. Wherever we hole up, it needs to be away from the rail line."

Daryl was chewing on a bit of squirrel and listening with one ear. He butted in abruptly. "How many walkers you seen in the last few days? 'Sides the one trapped in here, I mean."

The others of the group exchanged looks.

"There were a lot at the prison," Tara offered. "But the farther away we got, the fewer there were. And since we've been coming this way to look for Maggie, I think the last one we saw was day before yesterday."

"So where the fuck'd they go?" demanded Abraham.

The uneasy looks turned grim.

"Well, shit." Abraham spit to the side. "Nothing we can do about it, so let's just appreciate the elbow room we got right now, and everybody just keep your eyes open."

They sat and ate mostly in silence after that, other than Mika's occasional chatter. When they were done, they hefted packs and weapons and continued on, keeping to the trees. It was slightly slower going that way, but it felt safer. As it turned out, it made no difference since they saw no one, living or dead.

The closer they got to Terminus, the more frequently they saw signs of civilization – roads, cars, buildings. When they guessed they were roughly half a day's walk away, they turned onto a small paved road and followed it past a few shops and gas stations until they reached a motel. It was a single story horseshoe shaped building with six guest rooms accessible from a central fenced courtyard. At one end, there was a lobby with plate glass windows covered by a metal grating. It was a roach trap of a place, but there should be beds, and that was as good as gold. Starting with the lobby where they picked up all the room keys, they swept the place, but only found two bodies. Actual bodies – two people who had offed themselves in one of the rooms, blowing their brains out. It had happened so long ago, there wasn't much left. They left that room alone.

Back in the lobby, there were vending machines of snacks and sodas that hadn't been emptied, so Abraham pried them open, and they took everything, including the chewing gum. Under the desk, there was a bonus prize – a sawed off shotgun with several boxes of shells.

"Rosita, Eugene, and I will take one of the rooms," Abraham announced abruptly as he dumped the keys onto the front desk. He picked one of them up and headed for the door. Rosita sighed and followed with Eugene on her heels.

Glenn spoke up then. "Hey, why don't Tara and I take Mika tonight."

Tara snapped to attention. "What?"

"Sure – we can eat Corn Nuts and drink Coke and play games! It'll be good to take it easy for a night after the crap storm of this last week." He raised his eyebrows at her significantly.

"Uh, I guess so. How does that sound to you, Mika?" Tara asked uncertainly.

"Yeah! Can I, Carol? Can I?" At Carol's bewildered nod, she crossed to Tara and grabbed her hand. "Will you braid my hair? Or put it in ponytails like yours?" Mika's enthusiasm was catching, and Tara smiled.

"Sure, kid. If you like, I can show you how to French braid. Or we could find some string and do Cat's Cradle. My niece Meghan..." The smile melted from her face as she faltered. But then she pasted the bright smile back on. "I know! I could show you guys how to play Eat Poop U Cat! That one's fun!"

Mika started giggling at that. Poop is always funny when you're ten. The three of them grabbed a key, gathered up as much of the vending machine booty as they could carry, and went to find a room to stay in, Mika talking all the way, describing in detail the family dog they had back when they lived in Jacksonville that would eat cat poop every chance it got.

Daryl shook his head as he watched them go, grateful to Glenn both for keeping Mika occupied and for giving him some space with Carol. Crafty bastard. He shouldered his crossbow and picked up the rest of their stuff.

"You wanna grab some junk food? Then let's go find us a place to sleep."

Carol was still watching the trio cross the courtyard. After they disappeared into their room, she finally turned to acknowledge him with a half-hearted smile. She picked up one of the keys and tossed some of the snacks and sodas into a box she fished out from behind the front desk. He followed her as she led the way to room five.

Dropping everything but his crossbow just inside the door, Daryl ushered Carol in then locked up. Out of habit and a little bit out of nerves, he checked the place again even though he knew it was clear of walkers. The room had one queen bed in the middle of it and not much else. Carol sat on the end of the bed and watched him as he stalked around poking into the bathroom and closet several times. He finally left his crossbow by the door and closed the heavy curtains over the window, leaving very little light to see by. He sat gingerly on the bed next to her. Neither of them seemed to know what to say.

"Be nice to sleep inside," he finally ventured.

She nodded and examined her hands.

"Nice of Glenn to watch Mika, too."

"It is." Nodding again, she picked at some loose skin from a blister on her palm.

Daryl frowned. "What's the matter?"

Her hands dropped into her lap. Without taking her eyes off her hands, she leaned her shoulder against his. "Terminus."

He turned his hand palm up to rest on her thigh and waited until she put her hand in his. "What about it?"

"I'm afraid." Her words hovered in the darkened room.

Rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, he asked, "Of what?"

She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. "Everything, I guess. What we'll find there. What we won't. No matter what happens, I still have to figure out what to do after. I won't be welcome there." The sorrow in her voice hurt his heart.

"What's there is there. Ain't no sense gettin' worked up about it when we can't do a thing to change it. You and me, we'll figure out what to do. We'll find a place – after we find out what's up at Terminus. Right now, we don't gotta do anything but get some sleep."

She paused for a second before squeezing his hand gently. She nudged his shoulder. "Just sleep?"

His stomach fluttered in a fit of nerves. "Sleep ... or whatever."

"If you're okay with it," she murmured, "I think a little whatever might be just what I need right now."

"Yeah?"

Finally turning to face him, she smiled softly. "Yeah."


	13. Union

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter is 100% smut so if that's not your thaang ( & stuff), please skip it.**

In the dim light seeping in from around the curtains, her eyes were wide and dark as they met his. As he brought a hand to caress her cheek, he felt it again – that feeling of being on the edge of a great precipice.

Heat crept up his neck at the realization that everything between them was changing. Had been changing in the eternity since they found each other on the tracks after the prison fell. For so long, they'd lived in the comfortable way they'd silently negotiated, close – more than friends – but avoiding this next step that felt so huge and terrifying. But now he could see it was all bullshit. He'd loved her then, too. Admitting it and acting on it didn't leave him any more vulnerable to the pain of her loss than he was before. But now he wouldn't have the regrets.

The flutter in his gut intensified as he lowered his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss, testing the waters. Easing in. At first, she was just as tentative as they got used to the idea that for tonight at least, they were free to explore each other fully. But then she swept her tongue over his lip, and he made a little noise in his throat. That sound seemed to flip a switch in her. Her hands splayed over the sides of his head, pulling him in to turn the kiss into something hot and needy. She dove into his mouth with her tongue and nipped hungrily at him. He dragged her closer, encouraging the hunger and driving the need.

Never taking her mouth from his, she threw a leg over to straddle his lap. The friction made him shudder and groan. Her hands moved to his shirt, tearing the buttons open with way more speed and a lot less care than last time. He spread his own hands over her ass, digging his fingers in, then ran them up under the hem of her shirt. She shivered as his hands touched her skin for the first time. Over the last few days he'd touched her face, held her hand, kissed her. But this was his first time touching her _body_ skin on skin, and it lit a fire in his blood, making his cheeks burn and his cock surge. He reached higher to cup her breasts. She twitched and gasped as his thumbs swept over the nipples already stiff under the fabric of her bra.

She scrambled out of her jacket and shirt, peeling them off, careful of the bandage on her arm. His eyes were irresistibly drawn down to her chest, his breathing becoming unsteady as he took in the swell of her breasts in his hands, pressing against her bra. Dropping his head, he trailed wet kisses across the upper curves while flicking her nipples with his thumbs. She ran her fingers up into his hair, holding him close and making soft noises as he nuzzled her. Reaching around, he fumbled with the bra's clasp until she leaned back to do it herself, shrugging the thing off and to the floor.

The dim light slicing through the gaps in the curtains highlighted her curves in the dark room. The sight of her bare breasts was almost painfully arousing, his cock straining tight against his pants. He slipped his arms around her, dragging her tight against him. Looking up, he forgot to breathe for a moment when he saw the want in her face. For that moment, he was lost in her, pulled into her darkened eyes, nearly black in the shadows.

When his mouth closed over her nipple, she melted in his hands, releasing a breathy moan that shot straight to his groin. She leaned into him, tightening her fingers in his hair. He made a wet path over to the other nipple while she made little whimpering noises in her throat. She started rocking her hips into him as he sucked at her, causing him to make a whimpering noise of his own.

She pulled back, grabbing his unbuttoned shirt and vest and throwing them open to bare his chest. Lowering her head, she assaulted his neck. He raised his chin, closing his eyes as the sensations washed over him – wet tongue, warm mouth, sharp teeth. Licking, sucking, biting, all combining to make him dizzy. Her hands moved greedily over his shoulders and chest, as though making up for lost time. But then she slipped her hands around him, and he flinched hard, hissing in pain as her fingers dug into his bruised ribs.

She was off him in an instant, face showing her horror at having forgotten. She stood just in front of him, hands hovering as if she were afraid to touch him again. "Oh god! Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"'S okay," he assured her.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She twisted her fingers together to keep from reaching out to him again.

"Carol." The sound of her name cut through the worry and fuss, and she stopped, focusing on him instead of his injury. "It's okay."

Very gingerly, he worked his shirt and vest over his shoulders and down his arms. She stood watching, her hands fluttering as she held herself back from helping him. Dropping the clothes to the floor, he stood to face her. He slipped his arms around her waist and drew her to him, sucking a breath at the feel of her bare chest against his.

"Daryl, I don't want to hurt you!" She resisted slightly, pushing on his biceps.

"You ain't gonna hurt me. 'Sides, I don't care if you do." He smiled a little, hoping to ease her fears. "Guess you'll just have to be gentle with me."

Relaxing into him just a little, she asked, "Are you sure?"

"Ain't never been more sure of anything in my life." Moving slowly, he dipped his head down to catch her mouth in a kiss.

It didn't take much encouragement for her to pick up where she left off, albeit much more carefully. She kept her hands high on his chest and shoulders, or tangled in his hair. But as their kisses built back up to the earlier ferocity, she snaked a hand down to his belt buckle. Pulling away from her mouth and tipping his forehead to rest against hers, he worked on undoing her pants as well.

As soon as his jeans were open, she slipped a hand inside and pulled a sharp breath when she found he was commando. At her touch, a guttural groan ripped from him.

"Jesus," he ground out, immediately stilling her hand with one of his. Words were a struggle. "Can't- Not yet."

So instead, she bent down to shuck her boots and cargo pants. When she straightened, she was naked, and he was unable to breathe.

"Sit," she ordered. Daryl sat.

She bent down again, this time to remove his boots. When his feet were bare, she hooked her fingers into the waistband of his jeans at his hips and started working them downward.

"Up," she commanded, and he lifted his hips enough that she could drag his pants to his knees. Then one foot at a time, she freed his legs, and then he was naked, too.

They were both naked. Together.

The shock of it numbed his mind to any kind of thought. All he could do was stare. Carol stood in front of him for a moment, neither of them moving. Finally, she reached a hand out to comb her fingers through the long hair by his ear. Her touch broke him free of his shock, and he reached out, too, spreading his hands wide over her hips and gripping her hard. Looking up to meet her eyes, he let his hands wander from there, down the backs of her legs and up again to squeeze her ass. He brought a hand back around front to palm her inner thigh and slide upward. When he touched her sex, she gasped and jerked, eyes screwed tightly shut. Her hands clamped down hard on his shoulders.

"Fuck..." he breathed. She was already dripping, and he felt a fresh surge of wetness against his hand as he touched her.

"Bed." Her voice was thick in the darkness.

He let her go long enough to ease his way carefully onto the bed. She followed him as he moved back, crawling over his body. When she reached his mouth, she claimed him in another fierce kiss, her hands at his jaw. Eventually she came up for air and took the opportunity to rock back, settling herself directly against his erection. Thankfully, she didn't grind her hips into him, or things would be over before they really started.

She braced her hands on the mattress to either side of his head. His own hands dragged roughly over everything he could reach, grasping at her like a drowning man.

Then she lifted her hips, shifting slightly to find the right angle. She caught his eye, so he gave a slight nod. It was sweet, torturous bliss as she lowered herself onto him, slick and so hot, leaving them both breathing hard. When she had completely sheathed him, he grabbed her thighs to stop her.

"Don't move!" He desperately needed a moment to rein himself back. She was so tight, just being inside her was almost enough to finish him. With a deep, calming breath, he looked up to meet her eyes and found her struggling just as hard to keep control as he was.

That realization was enough to let him regain himself. He wanted to bring her over the edge, wanted to see her. So he reached up to roll and tease her nipple with one hand while the other slipped from her hip down to her center. Not breaking their gaze, he rubbed small circles against her clit while their bodies remained still, him stretching her, filling her completely. He could see her start to wind up, could see it in her face and feel it inside her. She whimpered and started to move, but he stilled her with a shake of his head. The whimpers grew and blended into a keening moan. Her inner muscles clenched down hard, and with a flood of wetness, she came in his hands, on his cock. She shook hard and cried out his name, triggering his own release as he drove himself into her for a few quick thrusts. His whole body tensed, making his ribs scream a protest while his orgasm burned through him like a wildfire, intense in a way he'd never felt before.

"Fuck!" he grunted as he shuddered, spilling himself inside her. "Fuuuck!"

When he recovered his senses enough to open his eyes, he found her still braced on her hands looking down at him. She was shaking, and there were tears sparkling in her lashes. A flash of panic hit him, fearing he'd done something to hurt her.

"You okay? What's wrong?" He raised a hand to brush his thumb on her cheek, catching the drop that spilled there.

Very gently, mindful of his ribs, she lowered herself to lie on his chest. "It's fine. Nothing's wrong."

Craning his neck to look at her the best he could, he asked, "Then why are you crying?"

She sniffled and lifted her head enough to look back. "It's okay, I promise." Sliding off to his uninjured side, she curled herself against him with her head on his shoulder.

"You're not..." He paused, then tried again, pushing the panic down. "You changin' your mind about this? Second thoughts?"

She smoothed her hand soothingly over his chest and belly. "Definitely not! I love you. It's just been...an overly emotional week. Sometimes it just comes out." She was quiet as he calmed, mulling that over, but eventually she spoke again. "I'm happy with you. But with everything that's happened, I feel terrible and guilty about feeling happy. But I'm also feeling a million other things, some of it I can't even sort out. I guess I'm a bit of a mess. I'm sorry."

He kissed her forehead. "Ain't nothin' to be sorry for. We're all kinda fucked up right now. I know I ain't much of a talker, but I can listen real good, so if you wanna talk about stuff...well, you can."

Staying well below the bruised section of ribs, she hugged him around the waist. "Thank you. Same goes for you, too, you know."

"I know."

He felt her shiver and realized the room felt a little chilly as their sweat cooled. So he rolled to the side of the bed to pull the covers down, and she followed suit. They climbed under the blankets, she on her back, he on his side where his ribs bothered him less. His head rested on her shoulder this time, arm around her waist, his leg hooked over her thigh.

"I love you, too," he added as an afterthought to her earlier words.

He could hear the smile in her voice. "Good night, Daryl." Her fingers combed through the hair at the back of his neck, soothing him into sleep.


	14. Abomination

They made love twice more before morning came – once languorous and thorough, once hungry and wild – and in between, they slept tangled together, taking comfort in each other's touch. Just after dawn broke, the group had gathered in the motel's lobby to have a breakfast of Cheetos, Twizzlers, and Dr. Pepper. Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene had gone down the street to a gas station they'd passed on the way in to find a map of the area. The group pored over it as they ate, arguing over how their recon of Terminus should play out. The basic idea was for the scouting group to make their approach, split up, and observe the place for the rest of the day. The groups would reunite at dusk at a rendezvous point already chosen on the map to discuss and plan the next step, whether it be making contact or making an escape. The problem came in when Carol said she intended to stay behind at the motel with Mika.

"No!" Daryl dug in his heels. He knew he wasn't being entirely reasonable, but this was bullshit.

"We can't take Mika so close to Terminus until we know what's there! I don't want her in any more danger than necessary. We're reasonably safe here – she and I will be here when you get back," Carol explained again, her patience finally beginning to fray.

"I ain't leavin' you behind. The more we split up, the weaker we get," growled Daryl.

"Yes, you said that, and you're right. But Mika can't go, and I'm not leaving Mika. I know you don't want us separated, but they need you out there scouting! Mika and I are fine."

"The little lady's right. We need you up there if you're half as good as Glenn here tells me you are. If all you need is somebody to hold your hand, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Abraham added.

"Ain't no way in hell I'm leavin' them here by themselves!" Daryl snapped.

Tara stepped up then. "I can stay, too. If you want someone else here to help look out for them, I can do that. I'm probably better at that than sneaking around in the woods."

Daryl hesitated, realizing he wasn't going to win this fight. If he had to be separated from Carol, at least she should have another pair of eyes with her.

"You can trust her. She protected me from walkers when I was unconscious on the road, and she didn't even know me then. She'll help keep Carol and Mika safe," Glenn reassured him.

His faith in her was enough to let Daryl accept the shitty deal he was being offered. Scowling, he shifted from foot to foot, not quite able to contain his urge to pace. Eye twitching, he grumbled at Tara, " _Fine_. But it's your ass, you let anything happen to either one of them!"

"Daryl," cautioned Carol.

He glanced over to her stern face and backed down out of Tara's, but continued to give her the stink eye.

"Well, now we got this little tea party organized, can we get the hell out of here?" Assault rifle in hand, Abraham spread his arms wide to punctuate his question.

As everyone dispersed to gather what they needed for the walk to Terminus, Daryl stepped over and knelt next to Mika. "Yer gonna be fine here with Carol and Tara. Behave yourself until I get back?"

She nodded, her new French braid bobbing behind her. "Of course. Hey, if you're leaving, shouldn't you do an idiot check before you go?"

They pointed at each other and announced in unison, "Found one!"

Mika's grin lit up the room. He gave her arm a squeeze.

He stood then, and crossed over to Carol, who waited with her arms folded in front of her. Putting a hand to her elbow, he mumbled, "Sorry I was bein' an ass. I know you can take care of yourself, but I really fuckin' hate leavin' you behind. There's too damn many things can happen to keep us from findin' each other again."

Her face softened as she looked up at him. "That can happen even when we stay together." She put a hand on his chest and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "We all know the plan, we know the rendezvous point, we have the motel. Just be careful out there, and everything will be fine. Stay safe."

Daryl glanced over at the others, still jamming things in backpacks and fitting weapons onto belts. He pulled her close, slipping his arms around her waist, and pressing his lips to hers in a firm kiss. When he eased back, her cheeks were pinker than they had been, and she was smiling.

"Ew!" Mika's face made it clear she was thoroughly grossed out.

"Hush, you." Daryl let half a smile out.

* * *

By roughly midday they had reached their meetup point, a large landscaping supply place that was easy to find, but offered lots of places to keep out of sight. After a brief break to eat and rehydrate, the group split up and circled around in opposite directions to sneak a look at Terminus. Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene went west, while Daryl and Glenn went east. They would return to the landscape yard at dusk.

Daryl led the way, with Glenn cutting a noisy path behind him. The train yard was just outside of town, surrounded by lightly forested areas between the many tracks that converged here. They worked their way closer to the fences as they went, keeping a sharp eye out for walkers and humans alike. Eventually, Daryl indicated they should stop on a slight rise that had plenty of cover between the trees and underbrush while still allowing them a reasonably close view of the train yard. Getting comfortable, they settled in to watch from behind the fences.

After an hour or so, Glenn leaned closer to whisper, "We've hardly seen anyone at all. If this place is really a sanctuary and they have all those signs up along the tracks...shouldn't there be more people here?"

Daryl nodded grimly. He'd been thinking the same thing. They had only seen a few folks moving around the place, though it was hard to judge since there were several buildings that could be concealing a much larger population.

A few hours later, he sat up straight and nudged Glenn's leg, pointing toward one of the boxcars sitting near the buildings. Two men were approaching the car, one carrying a rifle, the other carrying a water jug and some sort of packages. The openly armed man slid open the car door while the other stepped inside. A few minutes later, he emerged without the packages, shoving another man in front of him. After locking the sliding door, the two men led the third, hands raised out to the sides, into one of the buildings.

"What the hell was that?" Glenn asked.

Daryl chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. "Looked to me like they're keepin' people prisoner in those damn boxcars. Why the hell would they be keepin' people like that? What're they doin' with 'em?"

They watched for another couple of hours, but didn't see much of interest. There were armed patrols, but they seemed to be few and far between, and the guards didn't seem overly attentive. As it neared dusk, they decided to pack it in and head back to the landscaping yard to find out what the others had seen.

As they approached, Daryl could see them already there and waiting for them. Rosita was pacing back and forth and Abraham sat on a short stone wall, one knee bouncing rapidly in his impatience. Eugene just stood there.

"What'd you see?" asked Daryl when they were close enough not to have to shout.

Eugene answered. "We saw what appeared to be boxcars full of human livestock. They were being fed and watered. I am 99% certain at least one of the cars contains a baby as there were diapers delivered along with the food."

"The hell?" Daryl scowled. "A baby? If our other group made it here, that could be Asskicker in there!"

"Why did you say livestock?" demanded Glenn, eyes narrowed at Eugene.

"The bones," replied Abraham. "There's a pile of bones in there, and it sure as hell ain't cow parts."

Daryl blinked at him as the information processed. "Are you shittin' me? You sayin' those sick fuckers are _eating_ people in there?"

Rosita nodded, looking decidedly ill. "We can't be totally sure, but that's what it looks like."

"Fuck me," Daryl breathed. He didn't know whether he was more nauseated or pissed off.

"We gotta get in there!" Glenn implored them. "We can't leave people in a place like that! Especially if there's a baby. Whether it's Judith or not, we can _not_ let that happen." He pulled his weapon and turned to storm back toward Terminus.

Abraham held up a hand, stepping into Glenn's path. "Woah! Gear down there, big rig! We definitely aren't gonna let that stand, but we can't go in there without a plan, else we might as well just lock our own damn selves into those cars and save them the trouble." After making sure Glenn settled down, he continued. "What did you all see?"

Daryl shrugged. "Same thing with the boxcars. They took water and maybe food in. Took a man out at gunpoint and led him away. Not much else. A few perimeter sweeps, but no posted guards, no snipers or booby traps, either, that I could see.. Hardly saw any people at all. Not enough for this to be any kinda sanctuary, leastwise."

"We're going to need to get their attention focused away from the boxcars. I can stir up some noise on the far side while you folks clear out the prisoners-" Abraham was cut off by a voice screaming hoarsely in the looming dark.

Grabbing their weapons, they turned toward the sound, rushing forward to meet the threat. But as the source of the voice got closer, they could hear the words.

"Daryl! Are you here? _Daryl!_ " Carol's voice was coming from across the yard. There was just enough light left in the day to see her her and Tara hauling Mika bodily along with them. They were haggard and clearly exhausted – must've been half running the whole way here.

"Carol? What the fuck you doin' here?" Daryl demanded. He and the others ran toward the newcomers. Catching Carol by the shoulders, he asked again, "Why ain't you back at the motel?"

"We have to go! It's walkers, and they're headed this way!" She was shaking in his hands.

Abraham stepped forward, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. "All right, come on! The office for this place is just over there. We can hole up until the herd passes." He leaned down to pick up a whimpering Mika whose face was pale and tear-stained.

Wide-eyed, Tara grabbed his arm and pulled, forcing him to pay attention. "You _don't_ understand! This isn't just a herd. There's hundreds of them. Thousands! It's a fucking ocean of death out there! We only got away because we saw them before they saw us."

Carol put a hand to Daryl's cheek, forcing him to meet her eyes. The fear in them turned his stomach cold. "They're moving this way - fast. If we stay here, we all die."


	15. Desperation

Everyone froze for a second as that sank in. Then Glenn blurted out, "What do we do?"

"For fuck's sake, we need to _run!_ " shouted Tara, frustrated that no one was moving.

Daryl knew running would only delay the inevitable. "We can't! At least not for long. You three's already dead on your feet. There any cars nearby? Rivers we can cross? Tall buildings? Hell, I'd take a nice sturdy tree right about now!"

"Daryl!" Carol pulled his face to hers again. "We don't have _time_ – they're coming. We can figure out what to do while we move!"

"Shhhit!" Abraham spat. "All right, you heard the lady! Let's move, people! Keep talking – find an answer! Got no time to check cars, no rivers close by. No buildings, no trees. What else we got?" With Mika in one arm and his rifle slung over the other shoulder, he started trotting across the yard. Everyone else did the same.

Rosita called out, "What about the piles here in the yard? Climb to the top and bury ourselves in bark or compost or whatever. They won't see us, maybe won't smell us."

"And how long can we stay like that?" asked Abraham. "Wouldn't be able to move or breathe for shit. Maybe work if we're pinched. But we need something a hell of a lot better than that!"

"Then suggest something! I'm all ears! At least I'm throwing out ideas and not shooting them all down!" she snapped back.

Eugene's voice cut through the fuss. "We need to proceed to Terminus."

"Dammit, Eugene! Shit's changed – we can worry about Terminus if _and when_ we figure out how to live through this!" Abraham's face was dark in his irritation with the man.

"You misunderstand, as usual. Terminus _is_ the answer. Continue as planned with the diversion to allow us to reach the boxcars. Instead of letting people out, we shelter inside with them. The rail cars should be strong enough to withstand an assault even by a massive herd."

Daryl didn't stop, but he slowed as he considered it. "Holy shit, that could work!"

"Well, I'll be goddamned." Abraham shook his head and hefted Mika higher. "Sounds like we got us a fucking plan, people! Let's go!"

They ran, Daryl and Glenn half dragging the exhausted Carol and Tara. When they crested a small rise, Daryl paused at the top to look back. There was enough of a moon out that he could see a massive, shifting black herd stretching out behind them. His gut clenched. They were close, and there were so _many_! The herd was shockingly huge – it might better be called a swarm than a herd. He gripped Carol's hand tighter and raced down the other side of the rise, pulling her along behind.

As they ran, they hashed out the details of their seat-of-the-pants plan. Heading west, they made their way toward the boxcars where they thought the baby was. When they reached the fence, Daryl was surprised to see there were a couple of lights shining near the main buildings at Terminus. The sound of the generator gave them a perfect target – they wouldn't even have to search for it.

Abraham went over the fence first and immediately started toward the buildings, prowling quickly but quietly through the shadows. He would provide the diversion they needed by sabotaging the generator and lighting up their fuel drums. Just as the last of their group made it over, and they started slipping toward the boxcars, there was a thunderous crash, and the lights in the compound went out, followed by the whoosh of a massive column of flames that shot up into the sky behind the building to the north. If the herd wasn't headed this way before, they sure as hell were now.

People started shouting, and they could hear the sounds of running footsteps as the inhabitants of Terminus rushed to investigate the cause of the commotion. By that time, Abraham would have hidden himself somewhere nearby. Gunshots rang out into the night, and the shouting and chaos increased.

They wouldn't have a better time to make their run for the boxcars. Looking behind them, Daryl could see the leading edge of the swarm breaking through the trees. The fences would last maybe a minute if they were lucky. They picked the nearest boxcar and raced toward it.

There was a great crashing and clanking as the fences came down. The sounds from the herd became deafening as more and more came through – hisses and rasping growls that sent ripples of fear running over Daryl's skin and rolling through his belly. The acrid smoke from the burning oil and fuel drums stung his eyes. On the other side of the building where the fire raged, there was still screaming and gunfire, and he hoped like hell the walkers would be more interested in that than in them.

He ran up the steps to the boxcar's door, and wrestled the lock open with shaking hands.

"Hurry!" cried Mika from where she clung desperately to Glenn's neck. "They're almost here!"

"Workin' as fast as I can, short stuff!" he shouted back as he hauled the door open with a rattling bang. "Go! Go!"

Glenn rushed Mika into the boxcar – or tried to. The people inside were trying to push out, demanding to know what was happening and begging to be released.

"Move!" Glenn bellowed into the echoing train car. "Get back! We gotta stay inside! Move _now_!"

He shoved against the cluster of people in the doorway until they backed away. Eugene, Rosita, and Tara pushed in after him, forcing the prisoners farther back. Putting Mika down, Glenn held a hand out to Carol. She reached up to grab it while Daryl gave her backside a push to make sure she made it all the way in.

He hauled on the door again, intending to close it up from the outside, until a pair of hands from inside the car grabbed the edge and yanked the other way, preventing him from latching it.

" _What are you doing?_ " Carol screamed.

"Gotta lock everybody in – can't do that from the inside!" he shouted, pulling at her wrists to make her let go.

"NO! You can't stay out there! You can't! Daryl, _please!_ " she shrieked. She fought him, clawing at his arms, trying to drag him inside with her.

"Glenn! Get her inside or ain't nobody safe!" He grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her in for a rough kiss, trying desperately to make her understand what he had to do, trying to apologize for it. When Glenn stepped forward, Daryl let her go with a push toward the younger man.

"I love you, Carol!" He shifted his eyes. "Glenn?"

He saw Glenn nod stiffly, his mouth pressed tight as he grabbed Carol around the middle and dragged her kicking and struggling away from the door. Her screaming echoed painfully inside the metal car. Daryl's eyes burned as he slammed the boxcar door shut and slapped the latches into place. He told himself it was from the smoke, but each agonized cry tore a new hole in his chest.

Leaping down from the steps, he ran to the end of the car. The swarm was pouring into Terminus now – hundreds of them. Most were headed for the fire and the gunshots, but many were headed his way and were nearly on top of him. He whipped his crossbow up and sank a bolt into the closest walker's head. When he reached the end, he grabbed the ladder leading to the top and scrambled up as quickly as he could, kicking at the hands grasping at his boots.

When he reached the top, he quickly cocked and reloaded his bow and waited in a crouch to find out if walkers could climb. After a few minutes, he realized nothing could reach him, and he might actually survive this. At least for a while. He slumped to his hands and knees on the roof of the car and listened to the increasing sounds as more and more walkers crowded around their metal prison. Over the roar of the swarm, he could still hear screaming, but it wasn't Carol. It was coming from inside the Terminus buildings where the walkers had no doubt broken in. Looking up across the way, he saw three people burst through a doorway, trying to make a run for the fences. Shock and panic crossed their faces when they saw what was waiting outside for them. It wasn't thirty seconds before they were nothing more than messy clumps on the pavement, walkers swarming over them, tearing their pieces into pieces.

Feeling sick and shaky from the adrenaline rushing through his system, Daryl dropped the pack from his shoulder and rolled to lay flat on his back. He closed his eyes, and tried to slow his breathing. All was quiet inside the boxcar as those trapped in it hopefully hunkered down to wait out the herd. And that's what Daryl had to do now. All he _could_ do. Wait.

* * *

Well into the next day, Daryl was still lying on the top of the boxcar baking in the sun, silent and still, as walkers continued drifting by. It had been more hours than he could guess. All night long, the swarm had moved through Terminus like the current of a great river. Eventually the walkers surrounding the boxcar had forgotten there was anything interesting inside and wandered away to join the migrating herd. Their urge to flock together and move must be strong, because the flow of bodies never slowed. They just kept moving.

He'd nearly finished the only bottle of water he had, and though he was desperately thirsty, he saved it as long as he could. If the herd didn't clear soon, he'd be in a whole different kind of trouble. He wondered if the people inside the boxcar had any water. His people had some, but he didn't have a clear idea of how many people were already in there and no idea at all if they had any supplies. It was probably roasting in there. Hell, it was fucking hot up here in the glaring sun. It was making him drowsy despite his discomfort.

* * *

It was night again. He was grateful for the relief from the burning sun. It was hard to think anymore, his head was fuzzy and felt like it was splitting in two. The thirst was terrible, his mouth dry, lips cracked and peeling. He thought about his friends inside the boxcar and hoped they were alive...wondered if Carol was alive. He wanted to call out or pound on the roof, but didn't dare draw attention to them.

His muddy thoughts finally settled on a realization. Time wasn't moving like it should, but he was almost certain he hadn't heard any walkers for a while. Getting to his hands and knees was far more challenging than it should have been. His body weighed a ton, every limb filled with cement. When he finally got there, he looked around. It was daytime. When did that happen?

Right, walkers. He looked in all directions, then carefully crawled to the edge of the car and looked down and around. No walkers anywhere.

If there were no walkers, there was no reason to stay up here anymore. He made his way slowly to the end of the boxcar where the ladder was. Knowing he was weak and clumsy from dehydration, he took his time and carefully worked his way down. It took forever – or maybe it didn't. He wasn't sure. Near the bottom, a vicious leg cramp made his foot slip from the rung, and he fell, hitting the ground with a grunt, landing in an awkward heap.

His ribs hurt, and he struggled to get back to his feet as his leg continued cramping. He staggered over to the sliding door and crawled up the steps. Looking around one more time to make sure there really weren't any walkers, he fumbled with the latches and finally started to pull the door open. Someone inside helped push, but he wasn't expecting it, so he fell again, into the boxcar this time. The smell wafting out from the hot metal box was godawful, but he smiled anyway and felt his lip crack open again.

Carol's face hovered above him, her cheeks wet and shining. His eyes focused on her mouth, so beautiful as it moved, wrapping around words he didn't hear. Her hands were on his face and stroking his hair. Someone lifted his head and pressed a water bottle to his lips. That was enough to pull his attention away from her. He managed to suck down one mouthful before it was taken away. He struggled to reach it and pull it back, but his hands were caught and held. Looking up, he saw Carol again and relaxed. Now and then he was allowed to have more water, and as the painful thirst eventually began to fade, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the feel of Carol's leg pillowing his head and her hands caressing his face. Around them, voices rippled like music. He could tell other people were moving around and stepping over him to get outside, but he didn't care about any of that.

She was alive.


	16. Liberation

The more water Daryl got in his system, the more his brain started working, though his head was still killing him. He watched as Glenn and Rosita, looking sweaty and ragged, did a quick sweep of the immediate area to make certain it was walker-free. After a few minutes, he sat up and reached for Carol's hand. She watched him carefully with a strange flow of emotion rippling over her features.

"I'm sorry," he ventured, his voice raspy and rough.

"I know," she whispered.

"We couldn't have latched the door if we were all inside. I had to make sure you were safe," he explained.

She nodded, the strange expression still on her face. "I know."

"You pissed?" he asked meekly.

A bit of a smile broke through. "Yeah, a little. But mostly I'm just relieved you're okay." Her eyes welled up. "I thought you were dead. Again. This tendency you have for self-sacrifice is going to give me a damn heart attack one of these days."

"Sorry."

"I know." She shifted her eyes to the shadows at the end of the train car. "Look. Someone wants to see you."

"What?" He was confused, but followed Carol's line of sight into the darkness.

Beth stepped forward, squinting into the sunlight. Judith was in her arms, blinking and rubbing her eyes with her fists. When she saw Daryl, she stuck her chubby arms out toward him and squawked, "Dow! Dow!"

He reached for her, and Beth brought her over, crouching down with a wide smile to deliver the baby to him. For a moment, he just held her in front of him, standing on his lap. A painful lump clogged his throat, and his face twitched as he struggled to keep himself together. Judith waved her arms and smiled, crowing happily at him. Pulling her in to his chest, he hugged her close and squeezed his eyes tight, knowing there would be tears if his body had the water to spare.

"Hey, Asskicker!" he crooned to her when he found his voice again. "How you been, runt? Didja miss me?"

Judith squealed and pulled handfuls of his hair, trying to stuff them in her mouth.

He looked at Beth who was still kneeling next to him. "Damn, it's good to see you! Everybody make it here?"

Beth's smile faltered. "Yeah, we all got here. Maggie's outside with Glenn. Sasha's back there, but...she's not doing so well." She glanced back over her shoulder into the dark corner of the boxcar and lowered her voice. "They took Bob the day before yesterday. She was already devastated over Tyreese, and now Bob's gone, too."

Daryl sighed. "Fuck."

Carol touched his shoulder. "How are you feeling? Rosita wants to get started with the sweep – check out the rest of the boxcars and start clearing the buildings. The yard seems safe enough, but we know there's probably some walkers and people both still left inside. She's worried that we haven't seen Abraham yet. Do you want to help?"

"Hell, yeah, I do." He passed Asskicker over to Carol and hauled himself to his feet. He was dizzy and weak, but there was no way he was going to leave the sweep to everyone else.

He picked up his crossbow and a water bottle, and he and Carol walked slowly through the milling crowd over toward Rosita, Glenn, Tara, and Maggie. He glanced at Carol out of the corner of his eye and asked, "You talk to Maggie while you was in there? How is it?"

She kept her eyes on the ground, but she answered, "It's civil. She's not over it, but she's so happy to have Glenn back and be out of that hell hole that she's let it go for now. It won't ever be the same between us, but I think it'll eventually be okay. Or at least tolerable. I think."

"And Sasha?"

Carol shook her head. "Sasha's...not handling things well."

When they reached the others, he gave Maggie a nod which she returned with a quiver of her lip that might have been an attempt to smile. Rosita was trying to convince Glenn that they needed to sweep the buildings immediately, but he wanted to open up the other boxcars first instead.

"You were _in_ there!" he stressed. "You know how hot and terrible it was, and now there's been no food or water for a whole day. We need to get them out first. Then we might even have more help for the sweep, depending on what condition they're in and if we can find some kind of weapons for them."

"Fine! Whatever! Let's just get it over with! The longer we stand around here with our thumbs up our butts, the more time they have to get ready for us inside," she warned. There was a shrill note to her voice that Daryl suspected was from her fear for Abraham. If he hadn't appeared by now, Daryl was fairly certain Abraham hadn't survived.

"Fine! Let's go then!" Glenn pulled his weapon, turned on his heel, and stomped toward the nearest boxcar. There were three here, including the one they'd sheltered in. They knew there were at least two more on the other side of the train yard as well – the ones Glenn and Daryl had seen when they spied on the place.

Glenn flung open the boxcar door and stepped back. "Hey, in there! You can come out. We're all free now."

Turning sharply, he moved on to the third. Tara and Rosita stayed to help the people in the middle car as they peered suspiciously out into the daylight, demanding to know what had happened. Daryl and Carol, with Judith on her hip, followed Glenn.

He banged on the door before he unlatched it and slammed it open. "Hello! Consider yourselves rescued!" He backed away to let several of the prisoners stumble out, but then stopped and stared as a tall, haggard woman stepped into the light. "Oh my god!"

"Glenn?" The shock in her voice was evident.

"Michonne! I don't believe it!" Glenn breathed.

"Well, get ready to not believe some more." She turned to usher two others to the door.

It felt like slow motion as Daryl watched not just Michonne, but Carl and Rick step into the light as well. He hadn't seen Rick since the Governor's attack on the prison, which felt like a lifetime ago. He looked like absolute shit. Daryl felt a surge of relief and joy at seeing three more people he thought he'd lost forever – his family. But along with it came an unexpected flash of anger. The last conversation he'd had with Rick was about Carol. Rick had abandoned her alone, outside the protection of their home. He'd taken her away from him and left her for dead, no matter what shit he'd spouted about her being a survivor. Rage burned under his skin.

He stepped up next to Carol and put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her to his side, making sure she knew he was with her. And making sure Rick knew it, too. Her muscles were rigid under his touch, and he gave her a gentle squeeze of support.

Carl's mouth dropped open in shock. "Judith?" he whispered. " _Judith?_ " He jumped down from the boxcar and ran the few steps to where Carol was standing. He lurched to a halt a couple feet from her, eyes locked on his little sister as though he were afraid she would vanish if he blinked. His hand shook as he slowly reached out to touch her cheek. She grabbed two of his fingers in her little fist and jammed them in her mouth, drool dripping down her chin.

The boy finally looked up to Carol, and she shifted to hand Judith over to him. He held her close and rocked her silently as tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he gave up trying to keep people from seeing him cry and broke down in noisy sobs as he hugged his sister.

"How?" asked Rick from the door of the train car, his voice raspy and raw. "We saw her car seat at the prison, covered in blood. We thought..."

Keeping her face carefully composed, Carol told him, "Tyreese got her out."

"Oh, thank God," he moaned as he stumbled down off the boxcar steps to stand behind Carl. He wrapped his arms around both his children, shaking hard and staring into nothing, tears streaking through the grime on his face and into his beard. "Thank you."

Michonne stepped down from their metal prison and walked over to join them. "Tyreese is here?"

Daryl put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head slightly. Her face fell, but she squeezed his forearm. Carol reached out and pulled Michonne into a hug, which he'd never seen them do before.

"It's good to see you," Michonne told her. "Really good."

They released each other and Carol replied, "You, too."

Rick took Judith from Carl and stepped over to stand in front of Carol. Daryl tensed, ready to defend her, but Rick reached out to her with his free arm and pulled her to him. She endured the embrace stiffly, but didn't resist.

"I'm so sorry, Carol. I had no right to leave you like that. Deep down I knew it, but after the prison fell, after we were left out there on the road, just me and Carl with nothin'...I realized exactly what I'd done to you. That it was so much worse than I'd been tellin' myself." He pushed back from her, holding her at arm's length. "I know you might not ever forgive me for it, but I need you to know I'm sorry."

She looked back at him cautiously, not quite meeting his eyes, but nodded – acknowledging that she heard him, even if she didn't accept it. He nodded stiffly back and stepped away to sit with Judith and Carl on the steps of the rail car.

Glenn cleared his throat then and said apologetically, "We need to get started on the sweep, guys. Who's in?"

Carol nodded along with Daryl. "I'm in," he agreed. "But we ain't got much in the way of weapons. We won't have a very big group no matter how many able bodies we got."

Michonne's bright smile appeared. "I think we can help with that! Glenn, you wanna come with me? Rick buried the gun bag just outside the fence. That should set us up."

Glenn grinned and followed her toward the downed fences.

Daryl looked at Rick hugging his kids, and the anger he'd felt upon first seeing his friend dissipated. Carol was watching them, too, as they clung to the baby, still lost in the joy of their reunion. He felt a twinge of sorrow as he thought briefly of Sophia, wishing she'd had a reunion like this one. It was some comfort, at least, that Mika had been returned to them.

She glanced up, sensing his eyes on her, and he inclined his head, asking if she was ready to go join the others. She nodded, and they turned to walk back to where Rosita was bossing folks around. In total, the three boxcars had contained almost fifty people including some children. There were at least two more boxcars to go, too. With the addition of the guns Michonne was retrieving, they should be able to safely clear this place of any remaining threat – walkers or humans.

Daryl paused for a second. From the instant Carol's shout had cut across the landscape yard to them two nights ago, he'd been thinking strictly in the moment, concerned only with their immediate survival. But now he realized they had an opportunity here to create something real. They had people again, and a place. The larger buildings appeared to be structurally undamaged. A smaller trailer, the fences, and nearly all the doors and windows had been destroyed, but they could fix that. With what they now knew about the station's vulnerabilities, they could rebuild it to withstand another herd. It could be a home for them.

They could make this place into the sanctuary they'd been promised. There was hope.

Those who arrive survive.

He stopped Carol with a tug of her hand. When she turned, he drew her close, wrapping his arms around her and tucking his nose just beneath her ear. She slipped her hands beneath his vest and held him, snuggling into his chest. He closed his eyes, swimming in a flood of relief and gratitude that they were alive, safe, and together in this moment.

She murmured into his ear, "Are you okay?"

"I'm better'n okay. I'm fuckin' fantastic."

She leaned back to give him a doubtful look. "You're dead on your feet, dehydrated, bruised, _sunburned_..."

He smiled and kissed her sweetly.

"Yeah, but I got you. Don't need nothin' else."


	17. EPILOGUE: Foundation

Eight months after the herd had swept through, Terminus was thriving.

The day after the swarm, they had cleared each of the buildings, killing more than thirty walkers that had lingered inside. There had also been a confrontation with a cluster of people that had holed up, hiding on top of some industrial shelving. All five of them had been killed plus one of their own, a stranger from one of the boxcars who had strayed too far from cover in the firefight.

While the sweep was happening, Sasha wandered away. Beth tearfully told them she was there one minute and just gone the next. They never saw her again.

There was no sign of Abraham.

Rosita and Eugene left a few days later, after acquiring a truck. Six other men and women from the boxcars felt that the mission to get Eugene to Washington was important enough to join in.

In total, there were 68 people that stayed, nine of whom were children. With so many, they were able to quickly repair the damaged windows and doors, giving them all a safe place to shelter as they built themselves a home. Walls were being constructed, gardens put in. They found a few chickens and rabbits, which were easy enough to keep, even with all the asphalt.

A council was put into place, much like the one they'd had at the prison. It evolved and changed a bit over the months, but so far it had worked well enough. Everyone contributed in some way, whether they had a leadership role or just weeded the tomatoes.

They continued the radio broadcasts, offering sanctuary. Now and again, people would arrive, usually exhausted and hungry, sometimes sick, injured, or bitten. Everyone was given food and care and a chance to live there if they wished. Most did. Even with the occasional casualty, their population had risen to 104. Soon they would have to start working on expanding their available housing. It was getting awfully crowded.

* * *

Daryl returned from his hunt with a good sized buck. Russel and Charlie, the two men that had gone with him, hauled it from the back of the truck and took it to hang. Daryl pulled the bags of smaller game out and handed them off to Carl for cleaning before parking the truck with the others and going in search of Carol.

They'd gotten back much later than expected – it was well after dark, so he didn't have to search too hard. He found her in their room, doing some mending, of all things, by the weak light of their oil lamp. Mika was conked out on her mattress in the corner.

Relatively speaking, they were lucky in their housing arrangements. Because they were a couple with a kid, they actually had a room with walls and a door – one of several rooms that had been administrative offices here. The space was tiny and the walls were paper thin, but it was no worse than their cells back at the prison in terms of privacy. Many people had to make due with nothing more than curtains between them and their neighbors.

Carol looked up when the door opened and smiled. Putting down her mending, she flung her arms around him in a welcome home hug.

"Watch out – I stink," he cautioned her in a whisper.

She chuckled softly. "Don't care. Missed you."

She leaned up to kiss him thoroughly, arousing him even through his exhaustion. The woman was unbelievably goddamn sexy, and his body never failed to take notice.

"Shower?" she asked, a teasing smile on her lips.

"Shower," he replied, "...or whatever."


End file.
